
Goi)yrightN^._i. 



COPVRIGHT DEPOSIT 



TEIE 


: HORRORS 


OF 


SOLTnCRN 


PRIdONd DtR- 


INC 


THE WAR 


OF 


THE REIICL< 


LION ^ ^ ^ ^^ 


FROM 1661 TO I66S 




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V 



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J OT7RNAL 
JOB ROOMS 
PLATTEVILLE ^'^ 





W. H. LIGHTCAP 

FROM PHOTO TAKEN AT NASHVILLE, TENN., 
IN 1862. 



THE HORRORS OF SOUTHERN 

PRISONS 
^DURING THE WAR OF THE.^ 
REBELLION 




FROM 1 86 J TO 1865 



if^.^ 



WBi^x i msmiAmtmSim'^ 







By W. H. LIGHTCAP 
Lancaster^ Wi%, 



BS^BBm 



THE tISRARY ©F 

ooHoness, 

Two Copits Receives 

FEB. fH ?902 

CorVRIGHT HHTRr 

CLAea «^ xxo, M». 



rH'.'r^^ 2 7 1901 

Lancastbr, Wis. 



\ 






PREFACE. 







^>^4 



■f •♦■^♦•♦••♦•IIAVE often been requested, by numerous friends, to write and 
4.^1 w X have published a little book, containing a history of my experi- 
^♦4 i ^ ences during the War of the Rebellion, from 1861 to 1865, in 
Andersonville and other prisons. I am prompted more, to do 
this, for the purpose of leaving a record with my children, of 
the terrible trials endured by their father, in his elToits to assist 
the Union cause in the preservation of this great and grand re- 
public. This is not intended for the critic's eye, for I make no 
pretentions to being an historian. 

As so many soldiers' experiences were very much similar and as so much 
has been written about all the battles, marches, etc., I shall not commence 
at the beginning of my service, but at the time we ruturned from the 
Rossau raid of thirteen and one half days to Marietta, Georgia, and the day 
after when volunteers were called for, to form a new raiding party of about 
2.500 soldiers, known in history as the McCook raid, the raid on which I was 
taken prisoner. 

Trusting that whosoever may read this little volume, will make due al- 
lowance for any shortcomings on the part of the writer, is the sincere wish of 

Yours Truly, 
William Henry Lightcap. 



CHAPTER I. 

EVENTS WHICH LED TO OUR CAPTURE. 

After thirteen and one-half days of liard riding, almost night and day, 
along by-roads, oow-paths and through blackberry patclies, the Rossau 
raid was completed by a return to our lines at Marietta, Ga. That niglit 
a very heavy picket line was needed along the west bank of the Chatta- 
hoochee river, and I was detailed as one to help form that line. The Rebel 
pickets' on the other side, who were behind breast- works, kept up an almost 
constant fire all night long, but as we were some distance apart and the 
night very dark, but few accidents happened. 

My tent mate was about two hundred yards in the rear, where my horse 
was left in his charge. During the night an almost spent ball went 
through one hind leg of his horse, struck him on one knee and rolled down 
on his blanket. His horse was ruined. He was lamed and therefore could 
not go on the raid of wliich he and I had volunteered to form a part. It 
was fortunate for him, for his knee was but slightly bruised. As all had 
for some time seen constant, hard service, it was not deemed proper to 
command us to go, but we were asked for volunteers, therefore it was 
strictly a volunteer command. About one-third of my company and about 
the same proportion of all the cavalry regiments there, volunteered. A 
pontoon bridge comjiany went a few miles down the river in the morning to 
place a pontoon across, below the rebel lines, for us to cross on. We fol- 
lowed a few hours later. When we reached the place the bridge was about 
half completed. Our command consisted of about 3,500 men. We were 
previously warned that this was a very dangerous undertaking, for the ob- 
ject was to enter the Rebel lines from twenty to twenty-five miles in the 
rear "of Hood's immense army for the purpose of cutting ofi" his communi- 
cations and supplies. While waiting on the bank of the old Chattahoochee 
for the completion of the pontoon bridge, we were given a chance to go 
back if we felt that we were too much fatigued for the undertaking or <ha!- 
our horses were too much rundown. About 200 availed themselves of the 
last opportunity and went back to Marietta. About fi p. m. wo crossed thf 



\ 



10 HOEEORS or SOUTHEEN PEISONS 

river into Rebel territory. A winding road led up to the top of a high 
bluff and a short ride beyond, to where the road forked. One branch led to 
the south, the other to the east. A sign board with an 'index finger point- 
ing to the east, the direction we were to go, read "Five miles to Hell!" 
Undaunted by the warning, we laughed and continued on our course. 
About sundown we came to a small town, a station on a railroad. As we 
were not permitted on such expeditions to burden our liorses with extras, 
such as a change of shirts, blankets or provisions, we were always on the 
alert when entering a town, for something to comfort the inner man for a 
meal or two. In tlie outskirts of the little village we were approaching, I 
noticed a small building in the rear of a residence that reminded me of 
similar ones I had seen before, which almost invariably turned out to be 
smoke houses. I quickly alighted, tied my horse and investigated, but 
nothing was to be seen except a large box filled with ashes. I was disap- 
pointed for a moment for I was quite hungi-y and had nothing but a few 
Jiardfack in my haversack. I wondered why so much care had been taken 
with ashes. I shoved my hand down in them, struck something, pulled it 
out, and to my surprise had a well smoked ham. As I started for mv horse 
others saw me and what I had ; a rush was made and in a very few mo- 
ments there was nothing left but the box and ashes. I had never heard 'of 
smoked meat being preserved in that way during the Jiot sammer months, 
but believe it to be the best way, for flies cannot possibly get at it. I 
quickly strapped my ham to the rear of my saddle, mounted and soon 
cauglit up to my place in the ranks. A few minutes later we came to the 
depot and set fire to that and a large frame building filled with Rebel sup- 
plies. We then quickly formed in single file, counted off by fours, every 
fourth man held three horses besides his own, and the rest went to work 
tearing up and destroying the railroad. 

JPor the benefit of those who never saw soldiers tear up and destroy a 
railroad, a slight account here may interest them. One would naturally 
think the process would be slow, but it was done as fast as a horse could 
run. One set of men with hand spikes would turn over one length of rails, 
other sets back and forward would turn over other lengths as far ahead 
and back as the eye could reach. The ties were then easily knocked off, 
piled up cross ways, the rails placed on top and the pile set on fire. The 
heat would soften the center of the rails so that the ends with their weight 
would bend to the ground and thus destroy them for further use. As soon 
as the pile was fired, that party would rush for their horses, mount and 
ride as fast as their horses could run until ahead of all at work, sometimes 
two miles distant. A constant stream of otlier squads would be riding still 
further ahead and so continue until the desired amount of track was torn 
up. We tore up there about ten miles of track in one liour. We then all 
returned to the village and started on our journey east. 

We had marched but a few miles when we discovered in tlie timber by 
the roadside, what proved to be later on, the advance wagon of a large 



DUEING WAR OF THE EEBELLIOK 11 

Rebel forage train, in all about 500 wagons. Each one was covered simi- 
lar to an emigrant wagon. With each was four mules and from two to four 
men. The mules were unharnessed, tied to trees and the Rebs had retired 
for the night in the wagons. The entire party, numbering about 1,500, 
were taken prisoners without firing a shot. The last were not taken mucin 
before daylight for they were strung along the road for miles. 

As fast as they were taken they were compelled to mount the mules and 
come with us. "We burned all the wagons as fast as their occupants could 
dress and get out of them. Had we turned back when the last wagon was 
destroyed it would have been one of the most successful and profitable raids 
in history, for among the prisoners were many commissioned officers who 
were out for recreation and benefit of their health. One was a major-gen- 
eral, two brigadiers, many colonels, majors, captains, etc. But instead, we 
kept on and just at day-break came to another town on another railroad. 
There seemed to be no one stirring in the place so early, but up the track a 
half mile in the direction of Atlanta, we saw a train stop and aboTit one 
thousand Rebels dismount. As we were close to the town, we thought best 
to rush in, take it and then wliip the regiment that had just arrived. We 
were very much surprised to find about 8,000 Rebs secreted behind build- 
ings waiting for us. As we were so greatly outnumbered, we were forced 
to retreat and sacrifice our prisoners and the 2,000 Rebel mules. As the 
country between Atlanta and where we crossed was quite level, the burning 
buildings, railroad ties and the forage train, so illuminated the heavens 
that it attracted their attention at Atlanta, and they could determine the 
course we were taking. They had undoubtedly been sending down troops 
nearly all night to cut us off, which they very successfully did. 

We fell back about a mile southwest of the town in the borders of the 
timber, and as there was not any apparent demonstration on their part, we 
concluded that we had sufficient time to prepare and eat breakfast. As 
there were so few hams and shoulders secured in the town we passed 
through the evening before, we divided with those who had none, and it 
took all we had to give each a scant breakfast. 

I had about four quarts of corn meal in my haversack, which I had se- 
cured the evening before, and gave the same to my horse. That was the last 
feed the poor fellow had for four days. AVe made coffee in our quart cups but 
before it had sufficiently cooled to drink, all the Rebels were upon us. That 
breakfast was the last meal we had for more than six days. At the first 
volley from the enemy, we quickly gathered up frying pans and coffee cups, 
strapped them to our saddles and mounted. We returned tlie fire, but bo- 
ing' so greatly outnumbered, we slowly fell back on a road leading to the 
southwest. We soon learned from their firing that they were behind us 
and to the right and to the left of us ; they had formed in tlie shape of a 
horse shoe with us in the center. With their superior force, we wero 
obliged to follow that road leading deeper and deeper into tJie Confederacy. 
We had a restraining force that commanded their respect, including two 



12 HOREOES OF SOUTHEEN PEISONS 



pieces of flying artillery, which kept them at arms length. When at times 
they would attempt to to crowd us hard the artillerymen would plant those 
pieces and shell them a little. We were at all times careful of our ammuni- 
tion for we carried but little with us on such expeditions, the object of 
which was to destroy and do as little fighting as possible. They continued 
to dri-ve us for three and one-half days, when we reached a small town by 
the name of Newman. During this time we had been constantly in the 
saddle day and night. We realized our chances were becoming less hopeful 
the deeper we were driven into their territory and the only resort left us 
was to make a desperate attempt to escape. 

After a brief consultation of the leading officers, Brig. -Gen. McCook and 
the colonels, we planted our two pieces of artillery on a high hill about a 
quarter of a mile from the heavy timber west of us on somewhat lower ground. 
We fought that portion of their force so liard that they had to concentrate 
their forces there to keep us from escaping. No artillery ammunition had 
been used up to this time, although both guns were loaded. As a ruse to 
draw them out of the timber, we fell back down the hill a few steps, ap- 
parently out of sight, which led them to believe we had abandoned the 
artillery. They made a double quick run to capture those pieces and wlien 
they had covered about half the distance from the timber, our artillerymen 
rushed up, touched them both off, and we quickly followed and'ppened 
fire. They soon turned for the timber, the artillerymen constantly shelling 
them until tine ammunition was all gone. Wo then spiked the two pieces, 
quickly formed in single file and went in the opposite direction down a 
ravine as fast as our horses could go, leaning over on their necks to escape 
a light fire from the pickets on either side. A run of about a mile brought 
us to a main road leading northwest. We quickly formed in four ranks and 
struck out for the Chattahoochee river, twenty-five miles away, as fast as 
our hungry and jaded horses could carry us. A number of those faithful 
animals were called on, under the circumstances, for more than they could 
endure and while running fell dead or dying. 

Vv'e reached the Chattahoochee about eleven p. m,.to find that the owner 
of a cable boat, who probably had heard our artillery fire in the afternoon 
and surmised that we would come that way, had filled it witli rocks and 
sunk it to prevent our crossing the river. While as many as could got at it 
to raise it, the rest were on the top of the bluff to protect them. Seeing a 
corn crib not far from the read in a field, a few of us went to it and secured 
some corn for our horses. It was risky to feed them much after so long a 
fast, so we kept tlie balance until about daybreak, when we were informed 
that the boat was raised, the pulleys on the cable and all in shape to take us 
across. The boat would take 100 men only at a time, but as the river at 
that point had a very rapid current, the boat crossed and recrossed in quick 
time. When 100 would fill the boat, we would march forward to fill up the 
space. The room between the river and the bluff was about sufficient for 
half our number. In their haste to get us on the other gide, we were not 



DURING WAK OF THE EEBELLION 13 

permitted to cross our horses that way, but would take off bridles and 
saddles, drive them into the river, stone them until they got a good start and 
with saddles and bridles get onto tlie boat. As I was a member of the rear 
guard that day, my turn to cross came among the last. In the spells of rest 
we liad between loads, I let my horse eat the few ears of corn I had left. 

Before sun-up the Rebels had overtaken us and were on top of the bluff 
firing at the boat loads crossing. As is almost invariably the case when 
shooting at an object far below, the balls pass over and do no harm. So it 
was in this case, although after we had all landed on the other side and 
marched some distance from the bank of the river, the angle being much 
less, a few stray shots did their deadly work. 

When the boat was returning for the last of us, I stripped my horse of 
saddle and bridle and drove liim into the river, kept him moving for the 
other shore until he was nearly 200 yards out. Only about one-half reached 
the opposite bank, for being so fatigued, many drowned in crossing and 
many more when out from 100 to 200 yards turned around and went back. 
My horse was doing so well I felt sure he would get there. The boat with 
the load I was on gradually overtook him. I kept my eyes on him from the 
start for fear that another might get him when he landed, for many were 
wading into the river nearly to their necks to get anybody's horse that was 
nearing the shore. About the time we pulled up along side of him, to my 
utter disgust and dismay, I saw him turn back and land at the starting 
point. I then lost sight of him forever. 

In the army we became so attached to our horses that to lose them was 
almost like losing a brother. That was the turning point that landed me 
in Andersonville prison. I often wished I had done as did Col. Brownlow, 
of the First Tennessee ca,valry. He stripped his clothes off, strapped them 
to his saddle, started his horse in, grabbed hold of his tail with one hand 
and followed him across. The river was more than a half-mile wide with 
a swift current, but that would have made no difference to me, for I was 
an ^excellent swimmer, trained to it from childhood up and could have eas- 
ily crossed had my horse drowned before the other shore was reached. 

When all had landed we sunk the boat so that if the Rebs wanted it 
they could fully appreciate the time we had in raising it, besides they 
would have to cross the river to do so. There were no more than half 
enough horses to mount us. Some had other's horses, and many a hot dis- 
cussion arose, not only between the owners and those who had possession, 
but between their respective captains. If Gen. McOook had possessed the 
good sense that Col. Brownlow had, or done as the colonel wanted him to, 
all would have been well and avoided any discussion relative to the horses. 
Col. B. wanted the mounted ones to ride five miles and then dismount and 
let the others ride that distance and change about that way until our lines 
were reached, which would have taken all safely through, even though it 
was supposed to be 175 miles distant, besides there was a possibility of 
picking up enough horses in two or three days to mount all. But McOook, 



14 IIOKKOES OF SOUTIIEEN PEISONS 

I think, was a little scared. He said: "We will go witk the mounted and 
the rest will have to look out for themselves. "We did look out for our- 
selves a few days and then the Rebs looked out for us. We will never for- 
get the noble colonel, but twenty-one years of age, but every inch a soldier, 
a son of the famous Parson Brownlow, wlio always spoke his mind, al- 
thougli residing in the midst of Rebs and often threatened, but never 
daunted. 

The last night with my horse, in riding through some timber, my hat 
was knocked off by an overhanging limb and although I searched well for 
it in the darkness, I was unable to find it. Bareheaded on that extremely 
hot July Sunday morning was hard to bear, but the thought of walking 
175 miles in our fatigued and almost famished condition, to reach the Union 
lines did not improve our gloomy forebodings. The horses were so nearly 
worn out that they could not go out of a walk, but that was a little too 
fast a gait for us. They gradually gained, but we would sometimes break 
into a slight run in our anxiety to keep up. Oh, how hot we were. My un- 
covered head felt almost as though it was on fire. 

About five miles from the river we crossed a creek, and, although it 
was not using good judgment to do so, many of us laid down in it, 
clothes on, and rolled over in the water to cool our almost burning bodies, 
and then started on a trot to get nearer the mounted ones. But there was a 
limit to our endurance. Without food for more than four days, we were 
too weak for such a task. Squads of four, six eight and ten, and some- 
times more, were falling out every two or three hundred yards, some to 
the right, others to the left, and going back into the deep woods to rest and 
plan to obtain food. I struggled on until nearly all of my dismounted 
comrades had disappeared. A dear friend of mine, Thomas Allen, who be- 
longed to the same company I did, Co. E. , Fifth Iowa Cavalry, was mounted 
on a horse that seemed to be almost exhausted. He insisted on me riding 
his horse a few miles, and by staying by him and changing often, he 
thought the horse would take us both through. I was so nearly exhausted 
that I accepted the invitation. I rode up a long hill and then I looked back 
to see how far he was behind. I was astonished to see that Tom was quite 
lame. I could not bear the thought of entertaining his proposition for a 
moment under the circumstances, so I jumped off and would not ride 
further, although he earnestly insisted that I should. I saw that it was 
useless to try to keep up, so seeing a squad of seven fall out to the left, I 
went with them. This was about four p. m. We went back about a mile 
from the road into the deep woods and laid down to rest. Almost in- 
stantly we were sound asleep and it was about nine o'clock the next morning 
when we awoke. To our surprise we were laying in mud and wet leaves 
nearly half way up our sides. There had been a heavy thunder storm dur- 
ing the night, but we were unconscious of it until we awoke. We had then 
been without food for five days, except a very few crumbs of crackers we 
had in the bottom of our haversacks, whicli we had eaten more than fi,ve 



DUEING WAE OF THE KEBELLION 15 

days before. Our first thought was of something to eat. One comrade had 
four small onions. His good, generous nature prompted him to divide, so 
each had half an onion for breakfast. We realized tliat our greatest danger 
was in visiting a house to obtain food, but what could we do? 

We took our bearings from the sun and struck out as near as our judg- 
ment would permit for the north. Our object was to stick to the woods 
and keep as far distant from the roads as possible. We found lots of ripe 
blackberries which we ate freely of for a few moments, but our empty 
stomachs soon rebelled and we could eat no more. Some time in the after- 
noon we were astonished to see a road on each side of us, and from the 
angle they were running we judged they would come together within half a 
mile. This placed us under the painful necessity of crossing one of them to 
get away into deep timber. We concluded to cross the west one and ap- 
proached it for that purpose through a marshy ravine. We knew it was 
risky, for all the roads were patrolled by old citizens too old to enter the 
ranks, Rebel soldiers and blood hounds, for they were aware that very 
many of us were in the woods. I was a few steps in advance of my com- 
panions and when I reached the fence, I piacea one loot on a rail, raised up 
and glanced quickly up and down the highway. On the brow of the hill 
south I saw three blood hounds and three men horseback coming in sight. 
I instantly signalled the others to lie down and quickly dropped into the 
wet marsh myself. The grass was high enough to conceal us, still we could 
see our enemies pass by. The hounds were about four rods ahead of the 
foremost horse and rider and the other two about six rods behind. We dis- 
tinctly heard the one in the lead say, "Come on, come on, there's no 
danger here." When they had passed over tlie hill north, out of sight, we 
lost no time in crossing the road and getting at least a mile from it. 
We congratulated ourselves on our extreme good luck in not crossing be- 
fore they came up, for we certainly would have had trouble. Each one had 
a revolver loaded, but the loads had been in so long and w6 had been so 
much exposed to wet weather that it was doubtful about their going off if 
we were obliged to try them, besides it would have been very poor policy 
for us to kill one or more of our pursuers, for being so far from our lines, 
they would have followed us in large numbers to our death. As it was pos- 
sible for another patrolling party to cross our tracks before the close of that 
day, we took tlie precaution to wade in every stream we met with. 

We made good headway until darkness set in. We intended to do better 
by night while our enemies were asleep, but in that deep, almost dense tim- 
ber, it was impossible to keep our course. We tried it about two hours 
after night-fall but stumbled over dead limbs and fell over logs so fre- 
quently that we had to abandon it till daylight. We tried to sleep and did 
get some rest but were frequently aroused by unearthly yells from wild 
beasts. The woods were infested by timber wolves, black bear, panthers, 
wild cats and probably lynx. I suppose it was on account of our number 
that they kept at a safe distance. Just at the break of day we heard a cock 



16 IIOEEOES OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 



crowing in the distance, and guided by the sound, followed in tliat direc- 
tion. We disliked to go to a house, but were so weak from hunger that it 
was a necessity and we had to make the venture. We soon got near enough to 
see a log house in a small clearing. There was a grassy lane between the 
fence and timber. We sneaked up to within about two rods of the lane to 
take a view of the surroundings. We saw just inside of the yard and near 
the liouse, four or five women looking intently at something a Rebel soldier 
had He was probably eighteen years old. We could see no other man and 
no other house, so concluded in our desperation to not lose this opportunity 
for a square meal. As their backs were toward us and tlieir attention so 
ri vetted on what the Reb had, we quickly crossed the lane, bounded over the 
fence and had them surrounded before they realized that there was a Tank 
within a hundred miles. 

The Reb made no effort to get away, but we had a hard time to prevent 
the women from escaping to the timber. How wild and frightened they 
looked in their desperate efforts to break through our little circle. We tried 
to talk with them and convince them that we meant them no harm and it 
was some moments before we could quiet them sufficiently to do so. The 
scene reminded me of pictures in our early history, which I had often looked 
at when a boy, of women trying to escape from the Indians. We had been 
described to them by the Rebs as the most hideous beings on earth, with 
cloven feet and horns like the devil, and they, in their ignorance, believed 
it. They recognized us by our blue clothes and in their excitement 
thought they had fallen into desperate hands and all would be killed. When 
they found they could not get away they piteously begged us to not kill 
them. We told them that we meant them no harm. All we came for was 
something to eat. Then one said, in broken sobbing tones, we will give you 
all we have if you will not kill us. We replied that we did not want what 
they had, we simply wanted breakfast. After they were assured that we 
were not such bad men, they went to the house, built a fire and soon had on 
skillets making corn bread and frying smoked side meat. I told the others 
to go into the house hold, the Reb, and I would stand guard. The articles 
that so much interested them were some belts, cartridge boxes, etc. , the Reb 
had picked up, which some of our boys had thrown away to lighten their 
loads. As the women had by this time become pacified, talkative and 
friendly, I walked to the gate where I could look up and down the lane, 
for we had to be always on the alert to prevent surprises. Nearly a quarter 
of a mile east I could see two or three houses, but no person in sight. To 
the west about one hundred yards there was quite a hill, and at the foot of 
it there was a house, the chimney of which I could just see. I had stood 
there but a few minutes when a quite handsome young lady came from the 
house and very pleasantly entered into conversation with me. Her intro- 
ductory remark was "Why you'uns all look just like we'uns. " I said we 
are one and the same people, that I had an uncle who was a colonel in the 
Confederate army and two of his sons were in the Federal army. She had 



DUEING WAE OF THE REBELLION. 17 

wholly recovered from the scare and became very talkative. She asked me 
where I was from, how far it was from there, how many sisters and broth- 
ers 1 had and what I thought would be the result of the war. She said it 
was too bad that there was a war and hoped that it would soon end. I 
agreed with her. There came a call from the house to come to breakfast. 
I told my comrades to sit down and eat, that I would stand guard while 
they did so. In a few minutes I saw an old women coming over the brow 
of the hill, from the west, dressed in deep black, with a black veil that con- 
cealed almost her entire features. I quickly called the girl's attention to 
her and wanted to know what that meant. ' ' Oh, ' ' she replied, ' ' she is an 
old lady that lives at the foot of the hill. She has a son grown, who is sick 
all the time in bed. She has seen you'uns and is coming to talk with you. 
She is a friend of you'uns and is for your side. " 

She walked near the opposite side of the lane, apparently not noticing 
us, but when directly opposite she stopped, turned her face toward us and 
in a commanding tone said, "Young man, come here!" I went over to 
where she stood and in a whisper she admonished me to place no confidence 
in that girl. Her father and brother were in the Rebel army and her whole 
sympathy was with that cause. "I have a son in my house at the foot of 
tlie hill, I have to keep him in bed when neighbors and Rebs come near, under 
the pretense that he's sick, to keep him out of the Rebel army. He is as 
healthy and strong as you are, but he shall never fight against his country. 
If I could only get him across the line wiiere he could join the Union 
army, which he would like to do, and fight for that dear old flag, I would 
be happy. Do not confide in those people, all are Rebels at Iieart. I hope 
you will succeed in getting back. God bless you and good-bye." She then 
started for home and I went back to my place inside the gate. The young 
lady asked, "Now isn't she a friend of you'uns all?" I replied that she 
seemed to be. 

About that time my companions came out and called me to breakfast, 
said they had finished and would stand guard. It is impossible to tell how 
I relished that corn bread, fat side meat and buttermilk. To fully appre- 
ciate such food, as I did, it is necessary to go without food as long and have 
such an appetite. I believe I relished it more than any meal I had ever 
eaten up to that time. I hardly knew when to quit. Is it any wonder, 
considering the time we were without food? The women continued to 
cook and when I had finished there was a large platter full of fried meat 
and two large steaming pones of bread. I looked longingly at what was left 
and politely asked, "Have you lots of corn meal and bacon?" "Oh, yes, we 
liave lots of it, don't be afraid to eat all you want." "I have done so. 
Would it be asking too much to let us have what is on tlie table cooked to 
take with us? We would not ask it, for you have been very kind to give us 
such a generous breakfast, but our danger lies in going to houses for sup- 
plies and we do not wish to be compelled to do so oftener than possible." 
*'0h, no, take it, we'uns have plenty." I thanked them, stood each pone on 



18 HOKEOES OF SOUTHEEN PEISONS 

edge and divided it with a long knife, through the center. I placed half 
the meat in one pone, half in the other, then poured all the grease that was 
in the platter over all, put the parts together and with a cart-wheel under 
each arm, thanked them, bid them good-bye and walked out of the house. 
When my comrades saw me they roared with laughter at my audacity, as 
they understood it, but when I explained that I did not take the pones with- 
out permission, they thought it was all right. As we did not consider it 
judicious to leave our prisoner behind to collect help and hounds to follow 
us, we took him along partly on that account and partly as a guide, for he 
knew the country well. He stood in fear of the threats we made, should he 
lead us into danger and did well for us, for he led us clear of houses and 
roads. 

At about 4 p. m. we arrived at a point on a very higji bluff where we 
had a commanding view of a fine valley, in which was a mill and a few 
houses near it. We sat down there and partook of the first food since 
morning. We allowed our prisoner to help himself and while eating, he said, 
"If you will remain here until dark you will find a bridge a quarter of a 
mile west, where you can cross over to that mill. A nigger is the miller 
there and he will do all he can for you. He will furnish you provisions 
sufficient to last you a number of days and probably will guide you in the 
night a number of miles from there." We pretended that we would do so. 
We did not feel that we could trust him and therefore wished to deceive 
him, for it might be possible that he collected a squad of Rebs and some 
blood hounds that night and went to the mill in anticipation of taking us 
in, but if he did so his efforts were fruitless. As he was so far from home 
and the day so far advanced, we concluded to let him go. He thanked us 
for our kind treatment and wishing us success in reaching our lines, bade 
us good-bye. We watched him until he was out of sight, then quietly 
continued our journey north. We marched as long as we could see and laid 
down and slept as soldiers sleep under such circumstances until morning. 
We breakfasted sparingly of cornbread and bacon to make our scanty supply 
go as far as possible, for nine meals out of it the afternoon before made a 
large hole in it. We made very good time that day considering that we 
were always on the alert for highways and trouble. When darkness set in 
so that we could not see to travel, we were probably twenty -five or thirty 
miles nearer Uncle Sam's lines. We finished the balance of our food at 
noon and had not enoagh to make what we called a square meal, so had to 
lie down to rest without supper. During the night we heard hideous 
sounds which made cold chills creep over us. We distinctly heard the cry 
of a panther, which is a good imitation of the cry of a child. I had heard 
of and read of panthers' cries and their purpose. When human prey was 
discovered their cries were to draw a person to them and from their posi- 
tion on a large limb of a tree, pounce down and kill him. We also heard 
what we believed to be bears' growls. We got but little rest that night, 
for we sat up with cocked revolvers prepared for an attack that never came. 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 19 

How we longed for an opportunity to kill one bear. Had we been so fortu- 
nate we could have carried enough meat with us to do us until we reached 
our lines, for we would be relieved from the danger of visiting houses and 
certainly could have got through all right. Just at daybreak we heard 
what we longed to hear, a cock crowing in the distance. As we were quite 
hungry we followed the sound that led to a house after about fifteen min- 
utes walk. Before we liad quite got there we came to a simple path that 
led right to it. It was on about two acres of clearing surrounded by a 
low rail fence and all surrounded by very heavy timber. We thought we 
had struck an ideal place, for nothing buc tliat path led to it, and undoubt- 
edly we were riglit had we taken proper precautions. 

When within about two rods of tlie fence we noticed an old man with 
his head drooped and his hands behind his back slowly walking toward us. 
We stopped until he nearly reached the fence and turned to walk away, 
when we silently but quickly bounded over the fence and in an instant had 
him surrounded. The old rascal showed not the least surprise. He was as 
calm and collected as though nothing unusual had happened. He stood 
erect and said, "Soldiers in blue, are men after my own heart," and taking 
each by the hand said "Welcome! Come in the house and rest yourselves." 
As we followed him, he said, "I suppose you are hungry and your object in 
calling here is for something to eat." We said that was just it. We were 
then passing the cook house, which in the soath was invariably a detached 
log building from one to three rods from the house proper. In this case it 
was near the latter. He stepped inside and said, "Mother, there are eight 
good boys in blue outside the door who want something to eat as soon as 
possible. Can you prepare it for them?" She replied, "Yes." Then he 
asid, "Boys, come in the house and rest yourselves until breakfast is 
ready. ' ' We followed. 

His was built in common with other southern houses ; a double log house, 
a roof extending over the entire length, but about one-third in the center 
was open space, built so for comfort in hot weather. When we had 
stepped upon the floor of this open space he opened a door leading into the 
north apartment and politely requested us to enter. One comrade besides 
myself protested, stating that we preferred to sit outside where we could 
be on the lookout for surprises. He argued that we would be more safe 
inside under his patriotic protection, where we could not be seen if any 
Rebs should pass that way. After he saw we could not be induced to 
enter he brought out some chairs for us. The above mentioned com- 
rade and myself preferred to sit on the east steps where we could keep a 
close lookout east, north and south. Developments later proved that had 
we obeyed the wish of tliat lying old traitor and entered that room all 
lie need do was turn the key in the door and have us secure until help 
arrived. He had a son in that room, a large powerful man, who prob- 
ably had a gun in his hands and as soon as we had entered would have 
had command of the situation, and what could we have done? 'Tis 



20 HORROES OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

true he was born without fingers and for that reason was not in the 
Rebel army, but without doubt could fire a gun. We did not know he 
was in there until developments later revealed the fact. We noticed 
smoke ascending from the chimney of the cook house very soon after sit- 
ting down, which led us to believe that she was going to get us break- 
fast. Right after, the old lady went to the south-east corner of the enclos- 
ure to a spring and got a bucket of water. It looked like business and we 
were satisfied with the prospect-. To convince us of his loyalty the old man 
related his experience. He said his home was in Florida but it got too hot 
for him there on account of his Union proclivities and he moved to that 
secluded spot in Georgia timber where he would not be molested and there 
he should remain until the war was over. 

He was entertaining the six sitting on chairs and seemed to impress 
them that he was all right. Considerable time had passed and the other 
and myself thought breakfast should be ready, so we walked to the cook 
house to see how the old lady was getting along. Imagine our surprise 
when we entered. There she sat smoking a pipe, without a skillet, pot or 
pan over the fire. She had made no effort whatever to prepare us a meal. 
We asked what she meant by such deception. She said, "I can never do 
anything in the morning before smoking. ' ' We then remembered that when 
we entered the yard we saw a girl about ten years old. What had become 
of her? We had not seen her since. We thought we saw through the 
whole plan. She had been sent by the old woman to the neighbors or some 
Rebel post to arouse all the help possible to capture us. The old man could 
not have done so, for we were with him all the time. These thoughts ran 
through our minds with almost lightning rapidity. Our suspicions were 
aroused and some satisfactory explanation must be given us at once. The 
old man had followed us, for he knew we surely would suspicion some- 
thing wrong. He was a slirewd old rascal and wanted to be on hand to 
explain. We asked the old man what it all meant. He made the same 
excuse, that she could never do anything in the morning before smoking. 
We demanded an explanation of what had become of the little girl. He 
said she often went in the timber in the morning to pick berries and 
seemed to feel bad to think we would be suspicious of him "as true a 
Union man as any of us." "Don't be alarmed, gentlemen, this is a se- 
cluded spot and you will not be molested here. ' ' The others seemed to 
be contented and took in all the old man said without a suspicion of 
deception. My companion and I had not much more than got back to our 
position on the steps when I saw a squad of Rebs approaching from the 
north-east and others from all quarters within range of my eyes. I took in 
the whole situation at a glance, sprang to my feet and yelled, "Look out, 
the house is being surrounded, ' ' and at the same time bounded to the rear, 
ran across about four rods of vacant space, leaped the fence into the timber, 
ran about a quarter of a mile, sat on a log and listened a few minutes for 
others hurrying away, for I wanted company. I could not see one or hear 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 21 

a sound, therefore concluded that all must have been captured. "When I 
gave the alarm the door to the north apartment flew open and out sprang 
the almost giant to assist in capturing us. The old man threw out liis 
arms in an endeavor to catch me. I was under good lieadway instantly and 
sprang at the old fellow and landed liim one in the face that sent liim to 
the floor in a heap, sprang over him, and as I crossed the space to the 
timber and for fifty yards beyond a regular volley of shots were fired at me. 
Lots of them whistled close to me but I escaped without a scratch. It gave 
me great satisfaction to know that I knocked the "claret" out of the old 
hypocrite. I was destined to make the rest of the journey, if possible, all 
of one hundred miles, alone. Imagine yourself, as near as possible, in my 
position at that moment. A mere boy, alone in that deep, dense timber, so 
dense that the sun's rays could scarcely penetrate, and infested with savage, 
wild beasts. But I had no time to ponder or lament over the situation. I 
thought less of the danger from wild beasts than of being captured and 
taken to Andersonville prison, from whioli I thought there was no escape 
only in death. 

I hastened on, some times walking, some times running, until I reached 
a place a mile or more from that house, where there was a cool spring 
branch, where I laid down and quenched my thirst. I then sat down on a log, 
took out my diary, which I had kept from the time I had entered the ser- 
vice, to complete it up to date. Although it was a clear day, I could barely 
see to write so dense and dark it was. I had scarely noted down in a few 
words, enough to bring to mind again the experiences of the past twenty- 
four hours, when I heard sounds that almost cliilled my blood. It was 
the deep, bass baying of the blood hounds. They had placed them en my 
track, and not much more than a mile behind me. They liave naturally 
very deep, heavy voices, but in that timber the sound was terrifying. I 
knew there was but one way of escape and that was to wade in water. I 
instantly jumped into that branch, waded four or five rods and away I went 
on a run. Fortune favored me. In less than a quarter of a mile I came to 
another branch, waded into that and ran again. In about the same distance 
more I came to the third and again waded. About this time the hounds 
ceased to bark and I knew where they were. They had reached the first 
branch, lost my track, but in a few minutes, by surveying up and dovm 
from the branch, they had reached a point sufficiently distant to strike a 
dry trail. On they came again, howling as loiid as ever. By this time I 
Iiad descended a hill, came to a creek, jumped in and waded some distance. 
They ceased their howling again when they got to the next branch and 
that was the last time I heard them. Tlie men with them understood my 
game and called them off, for it was useless to follow me under the 
circumstances. "With wet feet and clothing to my knees, I struggled on, 
when about noon I came to a clearing of about thirty acres, covered with 
corn. As this was in July, and 'J was as much hidden in that as in heavy 
timber, I continued on my course and when I reached the top of the hill 



22 IIORROKS OF SOUTHERN PEISONS 

I came to where once stood a house. There were a number of peach 
trees there loaded with fruit not quite ripe. I ate a few, when my 
empty stomach rebelled. I was right close to some more timber and took 
to the woods again. In about a mile I came to another clearing covered 
with corn. I was on high^ land, "and in looking to the east and west I 
could see that it was about the same distance to timber, about two miles. 
It seemed a waste of time to go out of my way so far for the sake of 
being in timber, but I much preferred '^^it for the sake of my bare head, 
which was suffering very much from the heat. 

I could look north to timber, on another liill, about a half-mile distant, 
but south of it was corn on land sloping ".toward the soutli. The corn field I 
was near was sloping the other way, which indicated that there was 
quite a ravine between and probably some houses. After a few minutes 
deliberation I concluded to continue upon my course north and traveled 
through the corn to the foot of the hill. There was a meadow of over one 
liundred yards in width between the two fields of corn. Directly in front 
of me, across the meadow, a house stood and on the east side7of it were 
two women with a large kettle making soft soap. If I could only get be- 
hind them. I could see some more houses some distance east, but was not 
much concerned about them. The grass had probably been cut aboui the 
last of May, for there was a second growtli of about a foot in height. The 
house was surrounded witli trees and I could see that there was a heavy 
growth of gooseberry and currant bushes along the soutli fence between 
them. I could not be seen from the yard. I could not see a dog around the 
place and being so tired and hungry, I concluded to make the venture. 

I laid down fiat in the grass, reached as far ahead with my hands as I 
could, grasped as much grass with them as possible and pulled my body 
about two feet. I continued in this manner, occasionally glancing toward 
the women to see if they had noticed me, until I liad snaked myself across 
up to the southeast corner of the yard. 

I was within thirty feet of the women and could distinctly hear 
every word they said. I knew from their free conversation that they had 
not noticed me. I soon got beyond their view and into the corn and felt 
safe as far as they were concerned. I walked as fast as I could and soon 
reached timber again, which I followed. About half -past four I came to a 
log house standing on about an acre of cleared ground near a ravine. I got 
into a thicket near tlie fence where I could watch and ascertain about how 
many were there. I stood there about ten minutes and saw only a lone col- 
ored man washing windows. As I was satisfied he was alone, I walked near 
the fence where he could see me when I attracted his attention. I whistled 
and he looked up and saw me. I beckoned him to come to me and stepped 
back a few paces into the woods. He came and his first question was, 
" You' se a Yank, hain't you?" "Yes, " I replied. "Betta be mighty care- 
ful, one of you'es dun been captured right ovali dare yessa ma wnin'," 
pointing to a thicket about one hundred yards distant. "Well," said I, 



DUKING WAB OF THE REBELLION. 23 

"there's no time to waste. I want you to get me something to eat as soon 
as possible. " "Dare's nuffin to eat in dis house heah. Massa done built a 
new house up on de hill and me and my ole woman am gwine to lib in dis 
one" "Where is your woman?" "She's keepin' house at de new place for 
massa and missus" " Can not you go up there and get her to give you 
something to bring tome? I am very hungry. " "Well, Massa, I'll done 
gone and try. Heah, Massa, you lay down in that thicket and when I done 
got back neah you I'll whistle a little so you'se will know who's done 
cumin'." "Hurry now, for you know it is not safe for me to stay here 
long." "Dat's so, Massa. I'll soon be back." In about ten mnutes I 
heard a low whistle and there he was with a plate filled with victuals. It 
contained a lot of boiled greens, about a half-pound of fat pork that was 
boiled with tliem and a half pone of corn bread, knife and fork. While eat- 
ing I made arrangements with him to have his woman cook enough to fill 
my haversack and for him to go with me until midnight as a guide. If 
nothing had happened to prevent us carrying out those plans, I would have 
had enough food to have lasted me through and without doubt should have 
reached our lines in safety, for the only danger was in visiting houses for 
food. The woods were a shield and I could not be found in them. He was 
naturally quite talkative, for lie was very much interested in the result of 
the war, for lie, like the rest of the slaves, knew that if the north was 
victorious they would have their liberty. Where they got their informa- 
tion was a mystery, but all understood the situation. In his enthusiasm he 
forgot and sometimes talked in a tone a little too loud. I cautioned him 
once or twice, "For," said I, "some Kebs might be patrolling a road near 
by, overhear us and result in my capture. ' ' My prediction proved too true. 
In a moment I heard something snap like a dry limb broken, looked up and 
there stood a man of about sixty within fifty feet of me with rifle in hand, 
who commanded me to surrender. I had no thought of it, for I thought 
he was alone. I quickly whipped out my navy revolver, intending to give 
liim battle, but instantly heard other voices behind me commanding me to 
drop that or they would kill me on tlie spot. I realized it was useless to 
resist so many who had their guns aimed right at me and so dropped the 
revolver. They commaned me to throw it beyond my reach, which I did, 
then ordered me to take off my cartridge belt and throw that also. Wlien 
I did so they came up and the terrible fact was thrust upon me that I was a 
prisoner of war. This would not have been so terrorizing but for the repu- 
tation of the place I was doomed to enter. I had eaten nearly all the 
greens, part of the pork and about half of the corn bread. 



24 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 



CHAPTER 11. 

CAPTURED FRIENDS AND ENEMIES. 

They ordered me to get up and go with them. I held to the corn bread, 
intending to eat it. One saw me take a bite and yelled, "Throw away that 
nigger bread," and at the same time knocked it out of my hand. "If you 
was as hungry," I replied, "as I am, you would be glad to have it." They 
took me about a mile to a liouse by the road tliat was built differently from 
any I had seen in the south. It resembled in shape a long hay shed such as 
are common in the north, only it was built of logs and plastered inside. 
There were only two doors, one on each side directly opposite. The entire 
interior was one vast room. When I entered they placed me a seat between 
the two doors. At each door a guard sat, so I was pretty well caged. What 
a surprise to me when I saw a house full of women, at least fifteen. Nine 
were young women from sixteen to twenty. Almost instantly after I took 
my seat, they all arose and stood in a semi-circle and stared at me without 
uttering a syllable. They stood in the same position for ten or fifteen min- 
utes, all the time looking intently at me. It was somewhat embarrassing 
but I had to take it. I supposed they were trying to discover those horns 
the Rebs had informed them that all Yanks liad. In the meantime a little 
boy and girl, about six and eight years of age, had disappeared and came 
back with their little hands full of peaches and summer apples. They 
walked right up and offered them to me. Some of the women seemed to be 
shocked at the nerve of those little innocent ones to walk up to a live 
Yank. Others laughed outright. I took a part of their fruit, thanked 
them and told them they were nice little children. That seemed to please 
all and broke the spell, for when they heard me speak so they could under- 
stand, they believed I was not all animal, but part liuman. Tlien they 
plied tlie questions. One old dame asked in a drawling manner, "Where in 
the world did you come from?" I replied Wisconsin. "Wisconsin? How 
in the world did you ever get down here?" I said that was easy. I came 
on the railroad. Then one of the young ladies said, "We'uns thought 
you'uns all were horned critters, but you'uns look just like our boys." 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 2^ 

The old men guarding the doors had undoubtedly pictured us, as we had 
been pictured to them, to the women as being but a little above brute 
creation and felt called upon to make amends in some way, so said, "they 
are not all like this one." We soon became better acquainted and 
chatted freely. Perhaps I had been in the liouse an liour and a half when 
one of tlie old men asked, "Are you liungry? It looked like it the way 
you ate that nigger bread. ' ' I said I was. ' ' Wall, you gals go and get 
tliis soldier something to eat. They disappeared by going out of the east 
door and into the kitchen about a rod away. In the meantime I answered 
the many questions propounded by tlie old men and women. In about 
thirty minutes I was called out to supper. I sat down to the best meal 
I ever liad in the south. Those kind hearted young ladies had made de- 
licious wheat biscuit, a hot pone of corn bread, boiled potatoes, elegant 
fried ham, and all cooked in skillets, for they usea no such thing as a 
stove. Only tlie very wealthy planters had them. Besides they pre- 
pared fresh ripe tomatoes, sliced green cucumbers spiced in pepper, salt and 
vinegar, besides a pitcher of fresh, cold buttermilk ; tea and coffee the south 
could not get during the war. Cold buttermilk though I much preferred 
and it is far better. 

All in that household, old and young, stood in a circle around that 
table all the time I was eating, not as guards to prevent my escape, but to 
see how a Yank ate. I was not much embarrassed, for I had been so many 
days on so little that my appetite demanded my whole attention to the food 
before me. How I did enjoy that meal! When I had finished all went 
back into the house except the young ladies, who had to clear up the table 
and wash the few dishes, but they were soon with us. The old men 
resumed their respective places at the doors as guards. The young ladies 
put questions to me as fast as I could answer, such as, "Have you any 
brothers and sisters?" "How old are they?" etc., etc. Finally one 
asked, "Can you read?" I answered in the affirmative. She proposed to 
test me and ran for the largest book in the house, a primer. Oh, how my 
sympathy was aroused for those poor girls ! Born and raised in a republic 
where they should have had all the advantages of free schools, grown up to 
womanhood in ignorance just because the detestable aristocracy of the south 
regarded them as but little better than their slaves. They called them the 
poor white trash, and no doubt considered it to their advantage to keep 
them in ignorance. It seemed so at that time, for the poor whites were 
doing their bidding, fighting, and those too old for that purpose running 
down tlie Union soldiers so unfortunate as to be in their timber. The very 
ones kept in ignorance longed for an opportunity to educate their children, 
were, through their ignorance, assisting a cause that had always kept tliem 
down, and if successful, always would. The wealthy class had their private 
teachers and would to this day, liad they been successful in perpetuating 
slavery for all time, and therefore no common school would ever have been 
established in the south. Those girls would compare well in looks, form 



26 HOREORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

and natural intelligence witli an equal number of northern girls. 

Well, I had to read. In a few minutes I had read aloud all there was 
in tlie primer. With the rapidity I read it all were astonished. I could 
liear the old folks saying in low tones, "Why he is edecated. We should 
keep liim liere to edecate our gals." They were anxious to have their girls 
educated and the girls were anxious for it. They then asked me if I could 
write. I informed them that I could. One ran for writing paper, pen and 
ink. I liad a splendid Spenceriau gold pen, gold mounted holder, and case 
for them. I used my own, asked each one in turn her name, wrote it, cut 
it out and handed it to lier. Each looked long with a wistful look, which 
seemed to say, "I wish I could do that," although it was all Greek to 
them. 

Shortly after I entered the service I had one dozen photographs taken, 
witli my soldier clothes on, at Nashville, Tenn. The photographer said 
lie would preserve tlie negative and at any future time I wanted more he 
would send them to me. I soon sent tlie dozen to friends in the north and 
to comply with requests, some time after, disposed of another dozen in the 
same way. About three weeks before I went on tlie McOook raid, I had a 
number more requests from lady friends for pictures of myself and con- 
cluded to have a dozen more. I ordered them sent to Marietta, Ga. I knew 
that, should we not go there, I could have them forwarded to my regi- 
ment. As it happened, when we returned from the Rossau raid, we came 
right into that town. As I was there only one day and had but little time to 
write letters, I sent three only, and had nine left, just one apiece for 
those nine young ladies. I was aware that all I had would be taken from 
me when I confronted a provost marshal and much preferred to give them 
to those girls. I took them out of my pocket and handed one to each. 
They had never seen a photograph in their lives, neither had the old folks. 
To say they were surprised would be putting it mild. Each would look 
at the picture and then look at me, and exclaim, "Why it looks just like 
you! How in the world could they take your picture on paper?" I then 
showed them pictures of my mother, sisters and other lady friends. They 
thouglit it was all wonderful. During all this I could hear the old folks 
planning to keep me there to ' ' edecate their gals. ' ' 

I was rejoiced to know that they wanted me to stay, but doubted their 
ability to hold me, for if they had reported me to the authorities, they 
would have to turn me over to them. A this juncture the "gals" were 
ordered .to prepare another meal. They had not had supper and said they 
had put it off so late so that I could eat again and sit down to supper with 
them. How kind and thoughtful they were! I could not have been treated 
better by any friends with as limited means. While the "gals" were get- 
ting supper I had a talk with the old folks about keeping me there to teach 
their girls. I told them I would do the best I could for them and advance 
them as fast as possible in their studies and would also teach them to write. 
They expressed a strong desire to keep me but were afraid they could not 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 27 

for they had reported riglit away after they took me to the provost marshal 
at Roanoke, Ala. , and wanted to know what they should do witli me. They 
were ordered to take me there early in the morning so that I could be sent 
with some more prisoners tliey had to West Point, Ga. They said they 
wished they had not been so hasty and got acquainted with me. They 
could liave fixed it up with the otliers who helped capture me by letting 
their children attend the school. I asked them why they could not dress 
me in homespun and let me escape to some place they might designate, 
where I could remain in hiding until all had blown over and report that I 
had escaped in the night. Tliat plan amused tliem and they thought it 
would be all right, but after thinking it over seriously, they were afraid 
they would be punished for supposed negligence. Tliey expressed their re- 
gret to do so, but could see no way out of it but to deliver me at Roanoke as 
directed. We were called out to suppar. It was about 9 :30 p. m. It was a 
repetition of the otlier meal. The "gals" were doing tlie best they could 
for their guest. They had a long liome-made table sufficient to accommo- 
date all. We had a real pleasant time chatting about tlie north and south, 
but not once did tliey intimate their prejudice. 

When supper was over we all collected in the one great room, parlor, 
sitting room and bed room combined, to spend nearly an hour more in con- 
versation. I ascertained the cause of so many women being in one house. 
As the Union forces advanced and gained territory, many families in sym- 
pathy with the Confederate cause deserted their homes and went far back 
in the rear to the homes of relatives and friends. Those in that house, I 
believe, were all related. As I knew I would be searched the next day and 
everything of value taken from me, I presented the girls with my gold pen, 
holder and case, much preferring that they should have them than any 
heartless provost marshal. They were delighted to have them, but said it 
was too bad that I was compelled to part with them. It was becoming quite 
late. One of the old men proposed to go to bed. There w^ere but four beds, 
one in each corner of the room One long continuous bed was made on the 
floor for the girls and the two little children The old women occupied the 
beds in the north end, the on3 in the southeast corner was intended for the 
old men and the one in the southwest corner was assigned to me. The old 
men were supposed to take turns in sitting up to prevent my escape, but, 
judging from the conversation I heard in whispered tones before I went to 
sleep, I believe both went to bed after they were satisfied I was sound 
asleep. They said they did not consider it necessary to sit up for they be- 
lieved I would not try to get away. I had their confidence and under any 
other conditions it would have been treacherous to betray it. They were 
good and kind to me but felt it tlieir duty to deliver me over to the Con- 
federate authorities, which meant either a very long spell of intense suffer- 
ing or death, probably both. It was my last chance and I resolved to avail 
myself of it, but before I realized it I was dead to the world and did not 
wake until I was called to get up to breakfast. My power of endurance 



28 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

liacl been taxed to that extent, tlirougli the loss of sleep and tlie lack of 
food, that I could not resist nature longer, try as I would. 

When we liad finished cur early meal the sun was hardly up. The two 
old men had brouglit their liorses around to the door and were ready for the 
march. It was six miles to Roanoke. I shook hands with all and bade 
them good-bye. All expressed their sorrow in parting that they were in- 
strumental in delivering me into tlie worst place of torture on earth. They 
expressed their liope that I would live through it and if I did tliey wanted 
me to visit them and stay as long as I would, it would not cost me any- 
tliing. I often thought of doing so but circumstances prevented. It is 
now thirty-seven years ago. Those rosy cheeked young ladies of that time 
are now from fifty-three to fifty-seven years old, perhaps motliers and 
grandmothers, but I think it is safe to venture the prediction that they still 
have the pictures of that blue-coat that they think died years ago in Ander- 
sonville, and hundreds of times have shown tliem to their children and re- 
lated tlie story in connection with them. I started on ahead and those two 
old men followed Jiorse-back, each with a rifle. We marched at a good 
speed in order to reach Roanoke on time, but were too late. The prisoners 
they wished to take me with had gone an liour before. I felt sorry for 
those old fellows. It was shameful the way that provost marshal abused 
them for not having me there on time. They took it all without a mur- 
mur. It seemed as though the poor whites were under as complete sub- 
mission to those in authority or the wealtliy class as the poor slaves. The 
provost commanded them as punishmenet to take me to West Point, Ga., a 
town on tlie banks of the Ohattahooche river, twenty-five miles away. 
When we got out of sight of the town one dismounted and requested me to 
ride. I did so for about two miles and got off without being requested and 
asked the old man to mount. After we had traveled two or three miles 
more, the other got off and told me to ride his horse a few miles. We 
alternated in this manner, which made it quite easy for me. They expressed 
regret that they had not brought food with them ; if they had known they 
had to take me clear through they certainly should. 

About noon, as we were passing by a peach orchard, one of them re- 
quested me to get on his horse and he would get some peaches. I did so and 
asked him to let me hold his gun while he was gone. He reached it up and 
just before I had my hands on it, he smiled and pulled it back and re- 
marked that he did not believe I would take any advantage of him. but it 
was not the proper thing to do. I was certainly innocent of any wrong in- 
tent, simply desired to accommodate him. At any rate I could not have 
had the heart to shoot either of those good, kind men, besides it would be 
bad for me if I did temporarily make mj' escape so many miles from the 
Union lines. We ate freely of the fruit, but it did not satisfy hunger like 
cooked food. About 2 p. m. we stopped at a gate where there was "The 
Old Oaken Bucket that Hung in the Well." One of them drew a bucket of 
nice cold water which he handed us with a gourd dipper. A scrawny, 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 29 

hatchet-faced woman saw us from the house, came to the gate and, after a 
moment's conversation in a low tone with the one by the well, she turned 
to me and gave me tlie worse tongue lashing I ever had. I was not in a 
position to reply, so lield my tougue. When we had nearly reached the 
brow of the hill where we might look down on the city of our destination, 
we met a Reb horse-back. He was of the Texas ranger stripe, which I 
sized him up to be. They carried the black flag, which meant no quar- 
ter, or, in other words, shot all prisoners. He stopped and said, "I see 
you have a blue bird," then turned to me and said, "You can thank your 
God that you fell into these men's hands instead of ours. We would not 
bother to take you to Andersonville. " I said, "You are a Texas ranger, I 
suppose." "Yes, by God, I am." "Well, if ever I get out and into the 
service again and meet you, I will know what to do with you." "None 
of your d — n back talk or I will finish you right here, " and lie pulled out his 
revolver. My two guards and friends levelled tlieir rifles at liis head and 
ordered him to move on. "This man is in our hands and we shall protect 
him." He did move but almost turned the atmosphere blue in his trail 
witli a string of oaths. They kept tlieir guns on him until he disappeared 
from view around a bend in the road. As we went down the long hill and 
entered the town, hundreds of Rebs were sitting on the sidewalks. Occa- 
sionally one would rush out to the middle of the street where I was and 
accost 1113 thus: "Hello, Yank, give me your pocketbook." "What kind 
of a knife have you?" etc., etc., but before he could go any further one of 
my guards would get his gun in position and order him back. They pro- 
tected me all the way until we reached the provost marshal's office. Tliey 
followed me up a flight of stairs into the presence of the aforesaid coward 
and scoundrel and tlien were ordered like two dogs to go. There were 
three or four desks against the wall and as many clerks with their backs 
toward me. There was a railing at the liead of the stairs about six feet 
from the stairway. I stood in this space. The provost was a jierson about 
thirty-five years of age, and, judging from his appearance, never did a day's 
work in his life. He came outside of tlie railing and went tlirough all my 
pockets. He took my diary, the pictures of my mother, sisters and other 
lady friends, my pocket knife, money (which was only a nickle, for I liad 
not been paid off for montlis), in fact my all. 

He went back to a desk, spread out the pictures and called liis clerks to 
look at them, and there all stood in my presence making vulgar comments 
about my own dear sisters and lady friends. My blood almost boiled witli 
rage. Although a prisoner I denounced them in thunderous tones as brutes. 
The provost commanded me to shut up or he would slioot nie and pulled liis 
revolver. I told him no one but a coward would shoot a defenseless pris- 
oner or make such vulgar comments about his sisters and lady friends. Re- 
verse the situation and how would yoa like it? He called a guard and told 
me to go with liim. "I will not," I replied, "until I get tliose pictures." 
"You go or I will kill you where you stand." "They tell me lam going to 



30 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

my long liome and it would probably be a blessing to die here defending 
the lienor of my loved ones rather than endure the trials of Audersonville 
prison and die at last." He again commanded me to go with the guard. I 
replied that I would when he gave me those photographs. He said I should 
anyway. I said I would not alive. He then moderated and said lie would 
send them to me ill the morning. I asked, "Why don't you do it nowV" 
"I want to look over those papers you had first, but go along and you can 
depend on it yoa shall have them tomorrow morning." I said, "promise 
me faitlifully and I will go. ' ' He did so and I went. That morning has 
not yet come. My reader may wonder at and doubt such apparent reckless 
bravery. It can not be called bravery. I was driven to desperation by the 
slurs oast upon my sisters. Put yourself in my place and realize that 
you were bound for a place where thousands of as able-bodied soldiers as 
ever lived had withstood the tortures and trials of hades itself until their 
physical and mental strength could endure no more and died. What 
assurance did I have that my fate would be different? I had no hopes of 
ever living through it. Then why should I fear instant death in defense of 
right and justice? There was no exchange of prisoners. The Federal offi- 
cials at Washington would not exchange without the Confederates would 
exchange the coloi'ed prisoners also. The latter claimed them as their pro- 
perty. The only alternative was to go to prison and remain there until the 
war closed. How^ long that would be no one could tell. It looked as 
though it might last for years. The average life in Andersonville was less 
than six months. Life is sweet, but at that time I should have welcomed 
death. 

The guard took me across the street, up a flight of stairs on the out- 
side of a brick building, turned to the left into a hallway, and when about 
half way dowTi the hall to the right was a large door hung on wheels and a 
heavy iron bar across it. The guard took down the bar, shoved the door to 
one side and I entered a room wiiere were thirty-three others. The door 
was closed and barred and I was for the first time imprisoned, from which 
there was no escape. When I entered the room seven comrades arose and 
took me by the hand. Not to congratulate me, bat as an act of sympathy. 
They were the same seven with whom I wandered through the woods and 
were captured at the last place we went for food and wliere I was the only 
one who escaped. As there were no seats in the room we sat on the floor 
and told our experiences. They said it was surprising what a lot of Rebs 
that little girl collected in so short a time. "Slie came back soon after we 
surrendered." They could not understand howl escaped through the volley 
of shots fired at me, besides the house was almost instantly surrounded 
after "y u gave the old man a good poke, which pleased us but we did not 
dare show our pleasure. He had a horrible looking face and would have been 
glad for an opportunity to kill you. It only partly paid him for his duplic- 
ity. " They thought when the blood hounds were put on my track I would 
get the worst of it. 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 31 

After the exchange of experiences I took a survey of the premises. 
There was but one window for the room. That was in the north end, with- 
out sash or glass but iron bars instead like a jail. The room was entirely- 
vacant as far as any kind of furniture was concerned. On the east side, 
about five feet from the floor, there was a sliding door about two feet high 
and three feet long. A guard stood there in the next room watching us all 
the time day and night. As I had partaken of no substantial food since 
early morning and had marched thirty-one miles that day, I had a very 
keen appetite and asked my comrades when we would get food. They said, 
"No more until 4 p. m. tomorrow. " That was not consoling, but there 
was no help for it and I had to wait. Our room seemed to be a Rebel guard 
house. There were just seventeen Rebs in there and seventeen of us. 
When we laid down at night we completely covered the floor. It was 
nearly suffocating when Iving down, for the window was so much above 
us. When morning came I longed for 4 o'clock. When that time came 
there appeared a number of women in the next room at the hole in the wall 
to see us fed. The guard stood with a large platter covered with bread and 
boiled beef (tougli neck). Both bread and beef were cut up in chunks 
about two inclies square. When all was ready lie yelled, "Pig! pig! pig!" 
and threw the whole into the center of the room on the floor. Thirty-four 
men dropped to the floor and scrambled for it, the strongest getting the 
most. All that was on the platter would not have made meals for one- 
third our number. How tlie women slapped their hands with delight! 
It was really funny, but not for us. In a very few minutes our food 
was gone, and we had to wait twenty-four hours for the next. 

That evening there were two more Rebs brought in. Rebs? Well, we 
will call them that for tlie present, for they were dressed in butternut 
clothes. Each had a basket about the size and shape of our market baskets. 
They sat down in a corner near me and soon we engaged in conversation. 
I asked, "Why were you brought here?" Evidently they had been sick, for 
both were quit3 pale. "We have had quite a spell of sictness, went home 
on furloughs for thirty days to recuperate and stayed a little over our 
time, for we were not able to leave home and report. We should be home 
now for we are not fit for duty." They got close to me and in a low tone 
said, "We wish we had the pleasure and honor of wearing a blue suit like 
yours." I was astonished and asked, "Do you mean it?" "Yes, indeed 
wedo. " "How is it you are members of the Rebel army?" "We could 
not help ourselves. We could not get away with our families to the north 
where we could enter the Federal service and were forced into the Rebel 
army, but no Union soldier was ever harmed by shots from our guns, for 
we always shoot higli. We know many others who were forced like us to 
take up arms against tlie stars and stripes who are just as loyal as you and 
ourselves." I took them by the hands, thanked them for their patriotism 
and extended my sympathy for them. They expressed their sympathy for 
me, for they fully realized the punishment I would be compelled to endure 



32 HOERORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

in the place I was bound to enter. They asked, "How often do you get 
rations here?" I told them. "How much do you get at a time?" I said, 
' ' That is hard to say on account of the way we receive it, ' ' but I explained 
to the best of my knowledge. ' ' You certainly must be very hungry, ' ' and 
both opened their baskets and told me to help myself. They were filled 
with nice food from their homes. I begged to be excused, "for," said I, 
"you will need it all yourselves." "No, we will not, for our appetites are 
poor and we vnll get out of this tomorrow. Now help yourself or we will 
not like it." I ate one or two nice ham sandwiches and fibbed a little by 
expressing my satisfaction at what I had eaten. The next morning they 
insisted on me eating with them and would not take no for an answer. 
That helped me wonderfully and I stood it very well till 4 p. m., when I 
again assisted in amusing the women who came to see the show. During 
the day my two Union friends in Reb attire departed, before they had a 
chance to witness the scramble for food. As near as I can remember, we 
were there a little over a week, when we were taken out on a Sunday, 
placed in box cars and shipped south. 

We arrived ac Columbus, Ga. , county seat of Muscogee county, in the 
evening just as people were coming from churcli. The lieutenant who liad 
command of us, wanted to show off and put us through tlie drill where the 
street was wide, adjacent to the market square. Hundreds watched the 
performance. He swelled up like a toad and had an expression that seemed 
to say, "Didn't I do it! I captured them by myself by surrounding rhem. " 
After he had become tired (we certainly were), he marched us around to 
the opposite side of the square and took us to the provost's oflice. We were 
searched again but the picking was slim. They liad no place to confine us 
but tlie county jail. The provost, mayor and one or two more held a consul- 
tation in oiir presence to determine what to do with us. The mayor 
tliought it was a shame to put prisoners of war in a jail. We were sur- 
prised to hear any person express sucli sentiment in tliat country, for all 
seemed to think there was no place bad enougli for us. As they had no 
other place for us, there we had to go. We thought it rather humiliating 
when we had done nothing worse than fight for Uncle Sam, but when in- 
side a few minutes, we rejoiced at being so fortunate, for soon after we 
were turned over to the sheriff and locked up, he came inside and expressed 
his sorrow for us and said while we were in his charge we should receive 
the best possible attention. He said lie had ordered our supper, which 
would be ready in a few minutes. Tb.en came in tlie mayor of tJie city. 
Each sapper was brought in on a separate platter and the very best the 
market afforded. It was a meal that would cost there in Confederate money 
about $15.00. We had all we could eafc, and that was no small amount, for 
that was our first from the day before at 4 p. m. After the platters and 
dishes were removed we had time for the mayor and sheriff. They under- 
stood each other. They stayed with us until about midnight, discussing 
the result of the war. Those two men were as loyal as ourselves, but said 



DUEING WAE OF THE REBELLION. 33 

they oould not express themselves at that time in that location. I remem- 
ber of hearing after the close of the war how loyal that mayor was when 
our troops approached Columbus. He surrendered the city without a shot. 
My regiment, the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, was with the command when Colum- 
bus was surrendered. The mayor at last bid us good-night, but came again 
the next morning. How consoling it was to meet such sympathetic friends 
deep down in the enemy's country. We had three first-class meals that 
day. "We had the freedom of the jail and interviewed the prisoners to learn 
the cause of their confinement. Two Englishmen had been in tJiere for 
three months because they would not join the Rebel army, but expected 
their extradition papers from England most any day. We all expressed a 
strong wish to stay there. The sheriff said he wished it was within his 
power to hold us, and he would not keep us in solitary confinement. We had 
a visit from the sheriff's wife, wlio extended her heartfelt sympathy. We 
fully appreciated their kindness, which we never shall forget. 

We were taken out about sundown, marched to the depot and placed in 
a box car. We sat down close to the door for about thirty minutes to give 
the people a chance to gaze at us. On the platform was a very pretty, 
light-complectioned girl with long golden hair, about fifteen years old, with 
a basket of choice fruit on her arm, sent there on account of her attractive 
beauty to sell to passengers on trains and others wlio desired to puroliase. 
She stood gazing at us for some moments, and all at once we noticed tears 
running down her cheeks, and with one bound she was in the car and right 
in our midst, emptied the contents of her basket and quickly turning 
walked slowly away, sobbing as though her heart would break. Many there 
were touched by the scene. One person came to us and volunteered the 
statement tliat she was a slave and on account of her attractiveness was 
sent to meet the trains to sell fruit. That gave us tlie key to the situation. 
She was undoubtedly obliged to account to her master for every cent's 
worth of fruit disposed of. Her heart overflowing with sympatliy, inclined 
her to give it to us. She did not know what course to pursue at first, but 
following the inclinations of her heart, ["placed herself subject to her 
master's will. Poor girl! Tliere was not one among us but would have 
defended her to the utmost if it was within our power and, if necessary 
taken tlie whipping for her. The train was about to pull out, the door 
closed and locked and we were in total darkness. We laid down on the 
floor to pass the time away, if possible to sleep. We noticed the floor 
was very sticky but gave it but a thought. About midnight we were 
tran.gferred to another train and put in another box car, and in that rode 
till dayliglit. When it was light enough to see we noticed the difference 
in the color of our clothes. That sticky substance in the first car was 
molasses, leaked out of barrels probably unloaded just previous to our 
entering it. In the last car there had been cotton and enougli left to give 
us a good coating. Molasses and cotton, instead of tar and feathers. We 
looked very much like sheep. During that day we came to a small town 



34 HOEROES OF SOUTHEEN PRISONS 

where we stopped about an liour. To the right of the track aud within 
three rods of it was a small hotel wliere the bill of fare was advertised on 
a pole. It read as follows: "Corn bread and common doin's, 25 cents; 
wheat bread and chicken fixens, 50 cents. " As we were progressing toward 
Andersonville we intersected a number of railroads which brought in pris- 
oners from the east and otlier parts, and before we reached our destination 
our train had over tliree liundred prisoners. 

We landed at Andersonvillle about 4 p. m. Tlie place was very small to 
be so noted, but it was tlie prison that gave it sucli a world-wide reputa- 
tion. There was tlie depot and only three or four houses, wliich made up 
the town. I think all were occupied by the Rebel officials wlio were in 
command there. We were marclied from the train to a grassy spot in the 
rear of the depot and toward tlie prison, which was about a quarter of a 
mile further on. From this somewhat elevated piece of ground we had a 
commanding view of a portion of the enclosure. The enclosed ground 
looked like it was covered with an almost solid mass of dirty black hogs- 
no resemblance to human beings. The stockade enclosed the nortli side of one 
and the south side of another hill, divided by a small stream, probably 
only a spring branch. By standing on one hill outside of the stockade the 
other side of the enclosure was quite visible. About one-third of the en- 
closure was on one side of the brancli and tlie balance on the otlier, in all 
about twenty acres. 

The infantry prisoners were separated from us, formed in two ranks and 
ordered to call off, which proved there were more than two hundred of 
them. The Rebels then went througli all their pockets in searcli of val- 
uables such as money and watches. They would not take their pocket 
knives, tobacco, pliotographs, blankets, tents, etc. After they got tlirough 
with the infantry they turned tlieir attention to us. We were ordered to 
line up in single file and count off, which proved there were just ninety- 
six cavalrymen. We were ordered to strip to oiir skin, place our clothes in 
a pile to our riglit, with a double guard around us witli orders to shoot 
the first man who moved a muscle. They searclied every seam and pocket 
of our clothes and took everything, even pocket knives and tobacco, no 
matter how small, also photograplis, which would be a source of comfort 
for the possessors to look at but of no value to tliem ; every poncho, 
blanket or tent, if any were so unfortunate as to Jiave them, and all tlie 
time cursing, damning and calling us vile names, just because we liappeued 
to belong to that brancli of the service that required us to raid their coun- 
try, live on it in the meantime, cut off their communications by destroying 
their^railroad and telegraphic lines, burn their supplies wlierever found, 
etc. Tliey liad cavalry that raided our possessions and did the same, but 
tliat was different in their estimation. Oar service was just as honorable 
—it was warfare. All had to be done that would injure the enemy. 
After they had left us but our mere clothes,— rags in my case and many 
others— we were permitted to dress aud all start for the prison. A heavy 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 35 

thunder storm came up, so tliey marched us but to the first battery that 
commanded the nortli side of the enclosure, and there we remained for 
more than an hour in a very heavy rain. Through the mud we were then 
marclied across tlie creek to tlie north gate, wliere we were turned into 
the worst prison that was ever built by civilized men. 



36 HOEEOES OF SOUTHEEN PEISONS 



CHAPTER III. 

ANDERSONVILLE PRISON A LITERAL HELL ON EARTH. 

When new prisoners entered Andersonville it was customary for those 
long confined to collect around them for news, for it was their only means 
of obtaining any in regard to the progress of the war, which was of vital 
importance to them, for they felt that the end of hostilities was their only 
hope of release. I had only got beyond the dead line when a number ap- 
proached me. I stepped to my right and close to the dead line, wliich I 
knew nothing of, and answered to the best of my knowledge their many 
questions. Being quite tired and weak from hunger, for I had been with- 
out food since we left Columbus the evening before, I rested myself by 
placing my arm on the dead line. Instantly they pulled me away some feet 
in what I thought a very rude manner. In explanation they pointed to a 
guard in a sentinel box who was in the act of taking the musket from his 
shoulder. I asked what it all meant. They explained that Captain Wor.?; 
offered a premium to any guard that would kill any prisoner caught even 
touching the dead line. The premium was a furlough of thirty days to 
visit his home. I never forgot my narrow escape and thereafter kept clear 
of that line. I saw two or three shot after that for doing that same thing. 
Another time I was standing within a few feet of a comrade shot at for 
that trivial offense. The guard missed him and split another's head open, 
who was lying on the ground in range of his gun. Tliere was nothing 
thought of that by the Rebs and probably he got a farlougli. I asked tlio 
boys when they usually got rations. They replied, "Usually between 3 and 
4 p. m. each day, unless something turns up to rile Capt. Worz, then it 
would be very uncertain, sometimes not for two or tliree days. " This in 
time I found to be true, an example of which I will furnisia later on. The 
thought of going without food nearly twenty-four hours longer was not 
encouraging, but there was no remedy for it and I had to submit in 
patience. I wandered around the little time I had before dark, seeking a 
ulace to lie down. AH over it was muddy and there was no choice, but 
most of the boys had gone to rest and room was scarce, for the prison con- 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 37 

tained 30,000 prisoners and when all were at rest every foot of ground was 
covered. I at last found a vacant space just large enough to accommodate 
one person and took possession. In about an liour I was shaken by a comrade 
who said, "You have got my place." I asked, "How do you know';^" 
"Are you a new comer":"' I replied, "lam; came in today." "That ex- 
plains it. We are divided off into divisions. Each division is composed of 
one tliousand men and occupy a specified space. That is divided in ten 
parts, called hundreds, tlie same as we call companies when with our regi- 
ments. Each liundred is divided into four parts, called messes, of twenty- 
five men each. In the mess you draw your rations. Tomorrow morning 
you must find out what division, hundred and mess you belong to or you 
may lose your ration. " I said tliat would be too bad, for I had already 
gone more tlian one day without food. "That is notliing uncommon here; 
you will get used to that. " Was not that consoling? I thanked him for the 
information and left, to find some unoccupied place. I wandered some 
time before I found it. On the wet ground, with an arm for a pillow, I fell 
asleep, and could I liave awakened in tlie morning, and found myself 
where my dreams carried me, I should have been happy. I was at home, 
feasting on tlie best in the land. I awoke in the morning, hungry, damp 
and numb. I had noticing to do but eat and as tliero was nothing of that 
kind in sight I had plenty of time. The first thing on tlie program was to 
find out v/here I belonged. About 7 a. m. the Rebel sergeants came in to 
call the roll, to learn if any had escaped during the night. Even at that 
they were sometimes fooled, for if one had been so fortunate some comrade 
would answer to his name. I approached one calling the roll and asked 
him if he could assign me to some mess. As lots of the boys were dying, 
he soon found a vacancy and took my name. Oli, wasn't I happy to belong 
somewhere in tliat contemptible pen ! I was assigned to mess three, fourth 
hundred in fourth division. All of the members of a mess were numbered, 
so that wiieu issuing meat, which it was impossible to divide equally, it 
could be called off and there could then be no dissatisfaction. For in- 
stance, after it was divided into twenty-five piles, anyone coiild turn his 
back and as the mess sergeant pointed to one pile and asked, "Whose is this?" 
the reply would be No. 1, No 2 and so on up to No. 3n. The rations of meal 
and beans were divided by measure. 

As it was a number of hours before rations, I walked around until I 
was tired, seeing tlie condition of the prisoners and trying to find some of my 
company or any person I knew. Some of my company were in there but I 
could not find tliem that day. I sat down on tlie ground to rest without 
any protection from the hot sun, even for my bare head. Such sights as I 
saw among the prisoners were enough to dishearten any one. Some with 
nothing but a coat, others with a pair of pants only and some with pants 
and coat but no shirt. All were not so clad but very many. Very 
few there, unless some of the new prisoners, would be presentable in com- 
pany, and none if considered what they were covered with. I made the 



38 HORROES OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

statement that I had nothing to do but eat and that but once a day, but the 
way I had to scratch before the close of that day, taught me that I had an- 
other duty to perform if I desired to live a reasonable length of time. I 
found that I was like all the other prisoners, completely covered with 
gray backs. That was the name given them in the army, but properly 
speaking they were body lice. They look like the ones our mothers used 
to comb out of our head on our return from school, only they were about 
three times as large. They were actually so plentiful that on a bright 
warm day they could be seen moving around on the ground. I had to do 
like other prisoners, take my clotlies off once a day, turn them inside out, 
and pick and kill all I could find. It was surprising liow many we would 
get at a picking, but I will relate that part of my story later on. 

At last the big gates swung open, a four-mule team entered pulling a 
wagon load of tight barrels filled with something steaming hot. What 
could it be? An occasional prisoner, starved to desperation, could be seen 
climbing on the wagon while in motion, quickly thrust his hand into the 
black mess, grab a handful and disappear, eating as he went. Police, 
with their short clubs followed the wagon to keep such oif but in spite 
of them some would succeed in getting a handful. Just think to wliat 
desperation they were driven through hunger! I liave seen the police 
knock them off with their clubs and almost kill them, still they would 
risk their lives to gain a little of that mess that it would be a shame to 
call food. The Rebs called the mess hog peas, but they were small black 
beans, cooked as they were pullea, vines, pods and all together. Near tlie 
northwest corner of the stockade there was a cook liouse where they were 
boiled in very large cast iron kettles. A short distance from the stockade, 
near the creek, on the west side, there was another where tlie corn bread 
was made of corn and cob ground togetlier. The meal was mixed wiMi 
water, just as though it was prepared to feed chickens, no salt or other 
seasoning, and baked. It was almost as hard as a brick and quite so if left 
one or two days. So much of this mess was left with eacli division. A 
division sergeant drew the rations for the thousand men, and for his trouble 
iu dividing them in ten piles, he would take some extra. Each pile would 
CO to the sergeant over the hundred. He would take a little extra for liis 
trouble in dividing into four piles. Each pile of the last division would go 
to a mess. The mess sergeant would take a little extra for his trouble in 
making twenty-five divisions, but lie was more than twice as deserving as 
the other two, for he had so much more to do and still would take much 
less When I got my rations of beans I had the most repulsive mess I had 
ever seen. As I had notliing whatever to receive my rations in, the ser- 
geant had to dump the little mess in my hands. I had to eat them forth- 
with to clean my receptacle for the next service. I do not remember tlie 
number of wagons they had and I would not say I ever knew, but this I do 
know that the wagons' they used for bringing in rations were the same 
they used for pulling our dead to the cemetery. They had to be stripped 



DURING WAE OF THE EEBELLION. 39 

to clothe living and in that condition were hauled in those wagons. The 
large, square-cornered loaves of corn bread were piled up in the same. 
Wagon loads of bread came in after that black mess of beans was served. 
The loaves were about two feet long, fifteen inches wide and two and one- 
lialf to three inches thick. It was cut into pieces about two inches square 
which constituted a ration of bread for one person one day. As we were 
so very liungry, each article of what took the place of food was eaten as 
received. The next in order was fresh beef. It took quite a while to di- 
vide what tlio mess received into twenty-five piles. As I liad nothing what- 
ever to cook with, when I got my ration (it was clear steak), I put it all 
in my mouth at one time, and not a large mouhful at that, chewed it and 
swallowed it. Thus my meal was over with and I had no more rations to 
bother with for twenty-four hours. Should any one doubt my statement in 
respect to to the small allowance of meat please withhold judgment until 
later on I relate how much steak I was offered for a shank bone that 
hadn't a particle of meat on it. Cooked rations were the order of the day 
and far better for many, including myself, who had no cooking utensils. 
However, most of the prisoners were dissatisfied. They believed that those 
wlio had charge of the cooking to whom the meal and beans were issued, 
were robbing us, and therefore applied to Capt. Worz for raw rations issued 
direct. In about two weeks after my arrival we got all raw, and I could 
not see that there was much if any difference in the allowance. I had tlien 
to eat beans, meal and meat raw. Those who had anything to cook in were 
so reluctant to loan tliat I but seldom asked for the accommodation, but 
put up with it the best I could. The first experience I had with a ration of 
raw beans was amusing. They reminded me of liazel nuts I liad often seen 
with holes in and worms inside. Nearly all had the hole, but instead of 
tlie worm there was a gray striped bug inside, fully half the size of the 
bean. I sat down and picked them over as I had often seen my mother do, 
discarding the bad ones. I was surprised to see some of the old prisoners 
picking up what I had thrown away. In all my mess I liad but three sound 
beans left. I at once realized the fact that as the older prisoners had to 
come to it, sooner or later I must, and, as they expressed it, "the bugs ate 
the beans and we must eat the bugs to get the benefit of the beans." From 
then until the close of my prison experience I looked over no more beans 
but ate all that was furnished. 

I had been in Andersonville about four weeks when one afternoon 
wlien the meat was being called off, I was sitting on a knoll close by witli 
my elbow on my knees and my head in my hands, my mind far away 
tliinking of better days; my number had been called three times witliout a 
response, so the sergeant looked at his list to see what name was opposite 
the number. Wlien my name was called I responded promptly and, as I 
turned to leave, a tall and very spare man asked if lie was mistaken in 
understanding my name was Lightcap. I replied tliat he was not. "Where 
from?" "Wisconsin," "What part? Grant county, near Hazel Green?" 



40 ttOKRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

"Yes, from that town." "Any relation to the miller there?" "He is my 
father." "What! This is not Billy?"' "Yes. sir. That is what the boys 
at home call me." That man was Thomas Curtiss from the same town, a 
member of the Tenth Wisconsin. Boys brought up together, attended tlie 
same school and so clianged that we knew not each other. He drew a ration 
in tlie same mess, not for himself, but his companion who he was 
messing with. 

I showed him the spot where I layed down at niglit and went with 
him to see where he was located. He and his companion had a dog tent 
that would answer for two, and the latter was lying in it with 'his legs 
drawn up with the scurvy. He could not stand or straighten himself, there- 
fore Tom liad to draw his rations, cook them and wait on him generally. 
It was a blessing for me that he discovered my identity. Wlien he was 
through cooking he often loaned me his pan to cook my rations in, and 
thereafter until we were moved from there I got along much better, even 
though part of the time I ate raw rations because I was so hungry that I 
could not wait. It was a great comfort for Tom and myself to sit down 
day after day and review our boyhood days at tlie times we went fishing 
and swimming in my father's millpond, etc. How often Tom expressed a 
wish (as many others did after, I met from my part of the country) that 
he could get at the bean pile in my father's mill. Wliat a feast he would 
have! Our mess sergeant was an old prisoner, his system filled with scurvy 
and on his hands were a few dark blue blotclies that liad become almost 
running sores. Wlien dividing the meat, his hand closed tight on the knife 
would draw the skin tight on the back of liis liand and tlie dark blood 
would frequently run down his fingers and drip on the meat. At first I 
thought it was awful, but got accustomed to it and soon thought 
nothing of it. 

The country around was densely covered with timber. Wood was is- 
sued as sparingly as though it was a very scarce article. Every third day 
each mess received three small cord sticks of pine wood. It had to be di- 
vided and issued out in the same manner as meat. Each person's rations 
for three days was about half the length of an arm and as large as the 
wrist. As it was usually straight grained it was easily converted into 
shavings and used sparingly to feed the fire while cooking. The custom 
was to dig a hole in the side of the hill about five inches deep, in length a 
little more than the widtli of the pan, so that a draft was formed, tlie pan 
put over and the beans boiled as long as one-third of the wood lasted and 
then tlie meal stirred in, the lieat loft being sufficient to cook the meal. 
Beans could not be half cooked. In cooking, as soon as the water got a 
little too warm for the comfort of the bugs, they would come out of the 
bean shells, swim to the side of the pan and try to climb out, but were 
always knocked back when the meal was stirred in. The mess looked like it 
was seasoned with whole black pepper. 

During the months of July, August and September, Sherman and 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 41 

Hood's great armies were often actively engaged at Atlanta. Many horses 
and mules were killed during tliese engagements. After the dead soldiers 
were buried these were shipped to Andersonville to feed us on. It was 
usually four, five or sis days before they were dressed and issued to us, and 
I tell tlie truth before God, that the meat was green and slimy, half rotten, 
full of maggots and smelled so strong tliat a dog would have left it with 
disgust. How did we know that it was horse and mule meat? For various 
reasons. Tlie grain of the meat was different. We could distinguisli be- 
tween tlie horse and mule meat ; the bones were differently sliaped, besides 
wlien we received beef it was always fresh and tlie lieads and imunches 
were issued to us. Not so with horse and mule meat. We could eat that 
rotten meat, maggots and all, witli a relish, and often ate it raw. For my 
ration of meat one time I drew the liorn, eye and the piece of liide that held 
those two parts together. I asked a comrade what I should do with it. He 
said he drew a similar ration one day and it was all riglit. "Take the eye 
out and boil it, it will taste similar to an egg. Singe the hair off the 
skin, cut it in small pieces and boil with your beans. Boil the horn until 
it will slip off ; the gristle inside is nice to chew." I followed liis in- 
structions and found his statement about right. I drew a small piece of a 
paunch one day. I took it to our dirty branch, washed and cleaned the 
honey-comb part with a stick the best I could and ate it raw. I mention 
these facts not from choice for I know it is repulsive reading for many, 
but to let good, loyal citizens know hovv^ we fared. I called the branch 
from which we got our supply of water dirty. One would not think a 
spring brancli would be so, but when you realize the fact that 4,000 Rebs, 
the force kept there to guard the prison, were camped less than a quarter 
of a mile above on its banks and all the filth of their camp was mingled 
with the water, how could it be otlierwise? 

Daring a tremendous tliunder storm, almost if not quite a cloud-burst, 
about the first of August, a nice, lieavy-flowing spring appeared on the hill- 
side in the center of the neutral ground, between the stockade and dead 
line, and about seventy-five yards north of tlie creek, wliich ran parallel 
with both and emptied in it. As the neutral ground was twenty feet wide 
the spring was ten feet beyond our reacli. We asked Capt. Worz to furnish 
us a trough made of a couple of boards or a hollow log, anything to con- 
vey the water under tlie dead line where we could get it, but he would not 
condescend to do so. That was called and lias ever since borne the name of 
"Providence Spring." The Rebs never furnished us anything but tlie very 
sliglit rations once a day, just sufficient to renew our appetites, for when 
one has" gone without food fifteen or twenty liours that craving appetite dis- 
appears and a faint and dizzy feeling comes instead. It was impossible in 
the mornings to get up directly on our feet. At first we would raise up 
and rest on an arm ; everything would seem to be turning upside down and 
revolving over and over. In a few minutes, when accustomed to that posi- 
tion, we would raise to a sitting position. We would pass through the 



X 



42 HOERORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

same experience and liave to braoe ourselves with our hands to keep from 
falling over. Then to our knees and pass through the same ordeal. Then 
one foot forv^^ard and at last on our feet, often but to fall to the ground and 
try it again. 

The Yankee ingenuity would assert itself, for some of that water must 
be obtained. We agreed to save out the choicest pieces of wood from the 
mess allowance to make staves, and when we ]iad enough, make a bucket for 
our mess. For hoops we whitled pieces quite thin, soaked them in water 
until they would bend freely. We used the widest pieces for making the 
head. For a bail we used a heavy strip of cloth torn off some dead com- 
rade's clothes. By tying a number of strips of cloth togetlier we made 
a string which we tied to a pole made by splicing a number of pieces of 
wood, tlien by tying on the bucket we could stand clear of the dead line, 
swing the bucket over, dip it in the spring and get three or four quarts of 
delicious water. We had to be careful for the guards were always watch- 
ing for an opportunity to got a furlough. We could not get water there 
often, for very many other messes had made buckets and were there after 
Vt'ater also. 

The stockade was composed of straight pine logs cut in lengths of 
thirty feet, barked and hewed on two sides so that they would fit close to- 
gether. A ditch was dug all around the enclosure ten feet deep and the 
timbers placed on end with the hewed sides together, which made a solid 
wooden wall twenty feet high. On the outside about eiglity to one hundred 
yards apart were flights of stairs leading up to platforms about three and 
one-half feet on the top with a roof to protect tjie sentinel from the sun 
and rain. The sentinel could rest his arms on the top and from his high 
position overlook tlie entire enclosure. I think there were forty-oiglit sen- 
tinels on duty there at a time. At 8 p. m. sentinel No. 1 would start the 
call of the hour which was kept up every hour of the niglit to prevent or 
discover any asleep on duty. No. 1 would cry, "Post No. 1; 8 o'clock and 
all's right!" Post No. 3 would cry out the same by substituting Jiis num- 
ber, and so the cry would pass from one to another until it was returned to 
tlie starting point. Tliey would call in a sing-song tone, always giving the 
word "all's" the rising inflection. Quite often from midnight on, and 
sometimes before, the cry would stop and not be resumed until a corporal 
would wake up the sleeping guard. 

The one constant diet began to tell on me as on tlie others. Scurvy be- 
gan to show. Little dark blotches broke out all over me. As time ad- 
vanced tliey grew larger and larger until often they would reach the size of 
a silver half-dollar. The cause of scurvy was the lack of vegetables. If 
we could have had a few potatoes, onions, carrots, turnips or beets to eat 
raw, it would not liaA^e appeared. Eating meat raw lielped to keep it in 
cliock and therefore I most always ate mine raw for tliat purpose. We did 
not get enough to amount to mucli, but it helped a little and prevented it 
from advancing so soon to that advanced stage tliat we so much dreaded, 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 43 

from which there was no hope for relief — gangrene. I saw a few there who 
had it. The flesh would turn as green as grass and in a short time slougli 
off tlie bones and hang in strings like moss. In time I had the scurvy very 
bad. Besides the running sores on my body, my gums turned as black as 
tar and frequently bled. Tliey shrivelled and receded, which left my teetli 
bare below the enamel and caused their loss by decay. Witli some, scurvy 
acted differently. It caused tlie cords of their limbs, more especially the 
lower ones, to contract and drew tlieir legs up so tJiat they lost the use of 
them. There were a few potatoes offered for sale at seventy-five cents 
apiece for medicinal purposes, but were beyond the reach of but few. There 
were a few who smuggled in a few greenbacks by se-sviug them in the lin- 
ing of their clothes, but rest assured they were not cavalrymen. Nearly all 
enlisted for the good of their country, but there were there a few prisoners 
who were as doep-dyed villians as ever went unhung, altliougii six of the 
ring leaders were. Tliey were of tlie very worse element from New York, 
Boston and other large cities. They did not enlist througli love of coun- 
try, but went as substitutes for very large sums of money, paid by very 
wealthy persons drafted. When in the first battle, they laid in ditches or 
hid in some otlier way on purpose to fall into tJie hands of the enemy, think- 
ing their chances would be better as prisoners, for they depended on their 
knavery to carry them through with a good living. Two or three got in 
with enough to start small sutler stands. They bought tlieir stocks of the 
guards at night. Some of the guards liked to do business ; otliers would 
not. The would-be merchant walked as close to the dead line after dark as 
he dared, directly opposite a guard and yelled, ' ' Hello, guard ! Have you 
anything to seU?" If the guard was one of the speculative kind he would 
open up a deal on the spot, goods to be delivered when he came on duty 
again, four hours after he was relieved. The merchant would be on hand 
and under the cover of darkness the guard would request him to cross tlie 
neutral ground to the stockade and tie the n)oney to a string he would 
lower. After satisfying himself that the right amount was there, he would 
lower a sack witli a rope, in which was the article purchased. The guards 
made a big profit and the merchant charged accordingly. Corn meal and 
beans were from ten to fifteen cents per pint. New comers could not eat 
the rations, besides, there was not enough to satisfy them, so they would 
patronize the stands as long as their money lasted. Those tlmgs would 
watch the stands to see wlio had money, then shadow them until dark and 
through some excuse get them to go with th;Mn to a flat of about two acres 
near the creek and the east side of the grounds. Those two acres were a ver- 
itable quick sand bed. Their money was demanded and if not forthcoming 
a knock on the head would settle them, tlioir money and any other valu- 
ables were taken and the poor victim thrown into wlierc, in a moment, he 
would sink from the sight of man forever and the crime concealed. Hardly 
a night passed but we heard cries from that quarter of "Murder! Murder! ! 
Murder!!!" but they were soon hushed in death. How many vv^ere killed 



44 • HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

and thrown in there God only knows. I frequently visited the place in 
daylight and, judging from tlie reeking, squirming mass of carrion bugs 
and worms, there must have been many. Tliey carried on murder and rob- 
bery to that extent that an appeal for aid had to be made to Captain Worz. 
Tlie.se robbers, on account of what tliey secured, lived well, were fleshy 
and strong and hard to master by us starved weaklings, but a vigilance 
committee was organized with new, strong men, and six of the leaders 
were caught and brought to justice. They were given jury trial, which 
decided to dispense witli their services by hanging. Worz furnished the 
material, gallows were erected and the six swung off into eternity. There 
were no more yells of murder for a long time. 

About the latter part of August there was a little incident that cut off 
our rations for two days. Corn meal and beans were brought in cotton 
sacks, similar in size and shape to the half-barrel sacks flour is sold in but 
heavier. A certain number was left with each division. After all those 
rations were brouglit, the empty sacks were picked up by the teamsters. 
One poor shriveled and almost naked prisoner saw an opportunity to take a 
sack, which he intended to convert into a shirt by cutting lioles for head 
and arms. He did not suppose tlie sacks were counted when gathered. 
The loss was reported to Worz. He issued an order that no more rations 
would be furnished any of the 30,000 prisoners until the sack and the man 
wlio took it was delivered to him. Worz always took advantage of any ex- 
cuse to save rations. Tlie poor boy did not know what to do. He knew 
what it meant to be delivered to Worz. He would be placed in the stocks 
for forty-eiglit hours, which meant death, for I never knew of one to get 
out alive. Stocks were composed of two heavy planks two inclies thick, 
one foot wide and sixteen feet long, supported on edge by heavy stakes 
driven in tlie ground near the ends on each side to support them. A half- 
circled notch was cut and another about a foot from that. Tliese were a set 
sufficient for one person. A number of sets were cut on the edge of the 
board to secure a number, if necessary. The other plank had corresponding 
notches. The prisoner had to lie on his back on the ground and i^lace his 
ankles in the notclies of the first board, then tlie other was placed on top so 
that the notches in that would cover the top of his ankles. There he had 
to remain during the lengtli of his sentence, if not relieved by death be- 
fore, his feet a foot higher than liis head, without bread or water, exposed 
to the sun's rays and rain alike, and as lie could not turn or sliift his position, 
blood naturally would rush to his head. Who could live through a 
siege of that kind? Why wonder at his hesitating to give himself up? He 
held out two days and Worz was true to his word — no rations came in. He 
saw that he had to come to it, so he sent a friend to the gate with the sack 
to offer it to the guards, thinking that might satisfy the demand. He was 
asked if he was the one who took it. He replied no. Tlie guard said he 
had orders not to receive it without the one wlio took it. For the sake of a 
sack, worth but a few cents, that poor fellow liad to deliver liimself into 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLIOl!^. 45 

the hands of the greatest of all fiends to be tortured to death. 

Pardon me for bringing in so late what I am about to chronicle. As I 
stated in or near the beginning, we were not allowed to take anything extra 
with us on raids. The shirt I had on when captured was old and I had 
worn it a number of weeks on raids through very hot weather, and soaked 
every day with perspiration caused it to rot. I had worn my suit a num- 
ber of months on raids, rode almost day and night, frequently through 
blackberry patches. They were so nearly used up that I applied for a new 
suit just before leaving Marietta on the last raid, which of course I never 
got. I think it was the second day I was in Andersonville I went to the 
branch and washed my shirt. When I had finished I saw it was nearly 
washed away. Old prisoners laughed at me and told me I was foolish to 
wash anything in there, ' ' for it will last no time if you do. ' ' It was so nearly 
in pieces that I could not keep it on me a few days later and I had to dis- 
card it altogether. My boots were completely worn out also and I had to 
throw them away. Then all I had left was a ragged pair of pants and cav- 
alry jacket. Many were dying each day. There was hardly a mess that 
Iiad not one or more at death's door. During the month of August, 1864, 
over three tliousand died, but that was the greatest mortality of 
any month. 

There was a hospital a .short distance from the south end of the stock- 
ade where some were admitted if they thought they would die within 
twenty-four hours. It was composed of wall tents with bunks inside made 
of cane poles which were about a foot from the ground. I understood they 
supplied no medicine except what is commonly called sumac berries, 
which are very sour and good to check the scurvy. It was some advantage 
to sleep in a tent where the air was not polluted and all around green grass 
in abundance. Thy Rebel doctors came in twice a week to examine the 
sick to see who were near enough dead to be admitted. At roll call in the 
morning of tlie day the doctors were to be in, we were instructed to carry 
our sick over to or near the south gate. We had one in our mess who was 
so weak that he could barely raise his hands to his face to scare the flies 
away. It was the duty of the strongest in the mess to carry our sick over 
to the designated point. Three besides myself secured an old blanket and 
placed the poor fellow on it. Each took hold of a corner and started for 
the gate. He could not have v/cighed more than sixty pounds he was so 
greatly emaciated. We were the strong3gt in the mess, but so weak tliat 
we had to rest a number of times before we got there, not over two hun- 
dred yards from where we started. There were hundreds brought there and 
the stencil was so great tliat we had to take turns in watching our patient 
and walk clear back to get fresh air. Wlien a doctor got around he simply 
glanced at him and ordered us to take him away with the remark that there 
were many there worse. We carried him there three times before he was 
admitted, and then he died before morning. 

When our man was admitted, a guard escorted us and we went out- 



46 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

side witli our 'burtlen to the hospital and. for that service we were per- 
mitted to gather a brush little uear by to take in with us for fuel. As about 
all liad been picked up near tlie hospital, we induced the guard to take 
us nortli past tlie cemetery, where wood of that kind was more plentiful. 
As we went by we had an opportunity to see liow the dead were disposed 
of. Tliey dug a ditch four feet deep and six feet wide. Some were digging 
and some placing the dead and more shoveling in to cover them. A little 
beyond, toward tlie timber, I found a very nice pitch pine stick about five feet 
long and five or six inches in diameter. It probably weighed twenty-five 
pounds. Before I had reached lialf the distance to the gate I was com- 
pletely exhausted, threw down my stick and dropped down beside it. The 
others had a handful of brush wiiich did not worry them. And the guard 
insisted that I shou.ld keep up with them. I at last succeeded in getting 
inside, but as soon as I got beyond tlie dead line I took a long rest before 
I could proceed to my location. This is simply to illustrate how weak we 
were, although the strongest in the mess. 

It was also the duty of eacli mess to deliver its dead at one of the gates 
on either side of the roads between the dead line and the stockade. The 
dead were all stripped of every piece of clothing (unless a string to tie their 
big toes together) to help clothe the living. It was nothing uncommon to 
see fifty to one hundred laid out in a day. Two persons with a four- 
mule team imlling a wagon similar to what was in use in our grandfather's 
days, would drive in, turn around and drive the mules far enough outside 
to leave the wagon close to tlie dead. One would take hold of the head, the 
other the feet, and with two swings throw the dead into the wagon pro- 
miscuously until it was full. Often we saw tliem start away with a head 
or limb resting against a wheel. They were hauled to the side of the ditch 
(I mentioned in the cemetery) thrown like sticks of cord wood into it, 
placed across it on tlieir backs as close as possible and the ditch filled in. 
That work would last each day until ration time with tlie teams, but men 
were digging and filling in all day. 

We have read of little tomb stones having been placed there since the 
war at the liead of each one, with his name, company and regiment carved 
thereon. Undoubtedly tlie Rebs had the names of all who died there, for 
every morning the roll was called and a record could have been Kept of the 
deaths, but when stripped and laid out by the gates, promiscuously, with- 
out anything by which they could be identified, thrown into the wagon like 
cord wood, tossed into the ditch in the same way, how could there be any 
knowledge of where Tom Jones or John Smith was laid? It is well to 
think so. It has comforted many a father, mother, sister and brother v/lio 
went there and found the little stone with their loved one's name thereon, 
and in their assurance that in that hallowed grave rested their darling, 
decorated it with evergreens and flowers and with moistened eyes, knelt 
down beside it and offered up a silent prayer. Who knows the unbounded 
love of a mother? Who knows the sufferings of thousands of mothers who 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 47 

had sons in that indescribable hell-hole? I judge others by my own. When 
I returned to my home I was told very often my mother would sit down to 
the table and before she had tasted of food, with eyes filled with tears, get 
up and go away and exclaim, ' ' I cannot ! I cannot eat when I know my 
boy is starving!" Although different, I believe lier suffering was as great, 
or greater, tlian mine. 

The first two weeks I was in Audersonville I wasted away very fast. 
Fretting was even harder on us tlian the lack of food. I have seen fine 
physical specimens of humanity die, some in thirty, some in sixty, and 
others in ninety days, all through fretting tlieir lives away. And was it 
any wonder when on every hand, go whore you would, tliere were sights 
enough to drive one crazy? Here one, a living skeleton, di'awn up into 
knots through scurvy ; there others lying flat on their backs, helpless as 
babes, their lives slowly ebbing away from dysentery ; others, their minds 
entirely gone, nothing but skin and bones, flat on tlieir backs with barely a 
stitch of clothing, some chewing with all their might in their imagination 
that they liad sometliiug good to eat ; others throwing tlieir arms and in 
their delirium driving horses on the old farm at home, and all covered with 
vermin. I remember one poor fellow from Ohio who had a very good suit 
of clothes, and think he was not in there long, but that dread disease — 
dysentery — had reduced him to that condition that he was flat on his back 
and as helpless as a babe. Nothing to shelter him from the hot sun or 
rain. No one to protect him from torments of flies. No one to offer him a 
word of sympathy, and day by day growing weaker and nearing the end. 
He had a brother-in-law who occupied a tent within thirty feet of him and 
also had blankets, who had become hardened like many others there and 
would offer him no lielping hand. I carried water for him to drink, drew 
his rations, borrowed a pan, cooked them and fed him four or five days 
before he died. I never saw anyone more grateful. He thanked me over 
and over again for what little I did and said when he died I should have 
his clothes. On account of his disease it was dreadful tT be near him and 
probably that is why his brother-in-law did not take him into his tent and 
take care of him. He was about ten years my senior. When he knew that 
his time had about come, it was almost heartrending to listen to his piteous 
cries. "Oh, what will become of my poor wife and child! I can never see 
them and mother again!" When he was dead his brother-in-law claimed 
his clothes. I told him he had acted brutisli and selfisli and had done noth- 
ing for him and for what you have seen me do for him lie promised me 
them. He was unreasonable and, although well clothed for that place, 
would have them. I assisted in taking them off. He had a good pair of 
shoes and when we took them off", it is almost too horrible to relate, live 
maggots rolled out of them, and on examination we found they had eaten 
holes in the soles of his feet before he was dead. 

As I said before, I lost flesh very fast the first two weeks on account of 
worrying. I saw that it would not do. I could look around me and see old 



48 HORRORS or SOUTHERN PRISONS 

prisoners cheerful, cracking jokes at their small rations, offering to bet a 
bean that they could get more gray backs at a picking, etc. How foolish it 
looked for me to allow my mind to wander back to home and its comforts 
when I could not get there. I resolved at once to be cheerful and encourage 
others to be ; keep my mind off home and its comforts as much as possible 
and make the best of my surroundings. That resolution is what saved my 
life. A comrade who had a pan wanted me for a messmate. He had been 
a company cook when witli his regiment. That suited me, for something to 
cook in was what I lacked. We had another very sick man in our mess 
and, after going through the same routine as before, we carried him out to 
the hospital. This time they cut us off on the wood question. The hos- 
pital patients, some who had got better, gathered around us for news of 
friends they had inside. They drew larger rations than we did and the 
most, having very poor appetites, had considerable corn bread on hand. I 
was given fully two-thirds of one of those large pones of bread. As de- 
scribed, when we drew cooked rations, it was abou.t as hard as a brick, but 
could be softened. I was rejoiced to think how happy my mess cook 
would bo when he saw it. When I got back and asked my messmate what 
he could do with that chunk of bread, "Why," ho said, "I can make the 
finest dish oiit of that you ever saw. You go after some water and when 
you get back I will make a nice pvidding. " It was quite a distance to the 
branch and when I got back, with his back toward me, there he sat making 
a pudding as fast as possible. He had eaten fully two-thirds of it. We 
dissolved partnership tlien and there. 

One day in tlie fore part of September I was near tlie east side of our 
grounds when I saw a terrible rush for one of the gates. I liurried tliere as 
fast as I could and asked the cause of the excitement. I learned tliat there 
was a special exchange between Sherman and Hood of 5,000 western men. 
I fell in and liad to move witli the throng. Rebel officers outside counting 
them, made us move very slowly. When I was near enough to almost 
step outside, Vv*e were cut off and ordered back. They had enough. So 
near and yet so far ! Could I have been exchanged then, how many days and 
months of terrible suffering I should have escaped. I was pleased to know 
that some of my friends got out; some wlio were not constitutionally 
strong and certainly would liave died if tliey had to remain there much 
longer. It was not long after this tliat Sherman routed Hood and took 
Atlanta. Hood started on a circuitous route for Nashville, Tenn. , which 
loft no protection for tlie small force guarding our prison. We had to be 
sent away from there and to many places, divided in a dozen or more lot.s. 
Soon the call was for division No. 1 to go out, board a freight and 
go home. 



DUEING WAR OF THE EEBELLION. 49 



CHAPTER IV. 

SAVANNAH— NOBLE WOMEN OF THE SOUTHLAND. 

Whenever and wherever the Rebs moved us, "All aboard and go 
home, ' ' was the cry. It was base deception on their part to induce us to 
feel contented and not try to escape, so that a less number of guards would 
suffice. In a day or two our division was also called out to "go home. ' ' We 
were placed on a long train of flat or stone cars. We could hardly believe 
it, but were in hopes that we would be taken to our lines. I do not re- 
member the days but it must have been two at least we were on that train 
before we reached our destination, Savannah, Ga. The trains in the south 
at tliat time moved very slowly. Their engines were about worn out and 
as there were but few, if any, repair shops in tlieir possession, they could 
not run on regular time. It was characteristic of the Rebs to never furnish 
rations in transit and it always so happened that when we arrived at a new 
prison we were always too late for rations that day. On the way to 
Savannah our train stopped about an hour in Macon. The depot tliere 
burned down a few days before and in the ruins there were hundreds of 
pieces of sheet iron about two feet square with which tlie roof was covered. 
The boys on cars near by got permission to gather up some of these to take 
with tliem, as the guards could see no value in them. When in Savannah 
prison they made good use of them. With stones they pounded them into 
the shape of pans which would hold about four quarts. Some brought 
along as many as a dozen and sold what they did not need to new prisoners 
or any who had the price to pay for them. Quite a number who had almost 
forgotten how money looked came into possession of quite a sum, such as it 
was, the day we entered the prison at Savannah. 

We passed along one of the leading business streets of that city, which 
led beyond the limits to where the prison was, but not quite completed. 
We presented the most pitiable sight that the people of tliat city, or, I be- 
lieve, the world had ever seen. It was really indecent to lead us through 
where women and children could see us. Many half and very many not 
lialf-clad with rags created such a sensation that more than five hundred 



i^^iaaa^ataaSk 



50 HOKROES OF SOUTHEEN PEISONS 

of the noble women of that city followed us to the prison gate with food 
and earnestly entreated those in authority to let them feed and clothe us. 
All would have been well provided for if permission had been granted. 
They plead with tears in their eyes as earnestly and as ever a motlier did for 
a wayward child. But iheir tears and entreaties were of no avail. With 
hearts of stone every offer was rejected and the guards were commanded to 
bayonet any one that dared to give us a thing. 

So near the sea, the land was as level as a floor and water was within 
a spade's depth of the surface. They could not build the stockade as at 
Andersonville. It was constructed by framing some light timbers, braced 
here and there, and nailing to it sixteen foot boards on their ends. "When 
we arrived it was about completed, all but making tlie gates and hanging 
them. We sat on the grass outside about two hours with a strong guard 
around us. The women stood there with their baskets, determined to feed 
us. It appeared that one of the women was a wife of one of the guards, or 
at least well acquainted with him. She said, "John, cannot you let me 
give my basket of food to those starving men?" He replied, "I cannot. " 
"What would you do should I pass you and do so?" "I should 
have to obey orders and bayonet you." "You would not do 
that?" "I should not like to, but would have to." She made a feint as 
though she meant to pass him. He quickly swung his gun in front of her, 
she grasped him by the shoulder, quickly pulled him to one side, sprang to 
the other and passed in, and exclaimed, "Bayonet me if you dare!" It was 
the signal for a rush and those guards amounted to no more than men nf 
straw before that force of determined women. They kindly invited us to 
help ourselves, which we did with alacrity, for we were weak and faint 
from hunger. They sat down by their baskets and poured out their sym- 
pathy in streams'of consoling words, such only as mothers could do. They 
asked us where we were from and did we hear from home, and how piti- 
fully they expressed their sympathy for our poor motliers. We had all 
that was good for us to eat and felt very much better, but no better than 
those five hundred women did over their victory and the satisfaction of feed- 
ing, even once, one thousand starving men. The gates were completed and 
we went inside. There was no dead line as yet. The women were not yet 
satisfied. They went home and came back the next day. There were many 
knot holes in the plank that composed the stockade. The women gathered 
all around the outside and shoved through thousands of dollars in Confederate 
paper money, the best they had, and beseeched those who received it to 
divide with their comrades. Some furnished ten, some twenty, and some as 
high as two hundred dollars. Its value was very much depreciated but it 
would buy something of the guards at night. Very few, if any, divided, for 
I know I did not get any of it. 

The prison was a small one, probably six or eight acres. The guards, 
instead of having sentinel boxes, had a plank walk about three feet from 
the top where they walked regular beats. More prisoners came in later — 



DURING WAR OP THE REBELLION. 51 

more than they expected at that place — and they had to take in a few more 
acres to make room. Then the walks were taken down and sentinel boxes 
substituted. In about two weeks there were about 10,000 prisoners. When 
enlarged, they put up a dead line, also. The ground was so low and flat 
that the hot sun nearly melted us, for there was no possible way to escape 
its rays, and the stockade kept every breeze from us, therefore night was 
always welcome. Should it rain an hour steady, the ground would be cov- 
ered with water and it would take a number of hours for it to soak away. 
The ground was always slightly damp, but preferable to Andersonville on 
account of the clean, green sod. In time, however, the grass began to fade 
and disappear on account of the tread of 10, 000 men, and if we had been 
kept there much longer there would liave been none. The rations were 
better and a little larger at first but were gradually reduced to about the 
size we had been accustomed to. About half the time we had rice in the 
place of beans, good clean meal and always good beef, but in small quan- 
tities. Each would have received a little more had not the Rebs formed a 
police force out of the largest, strongest and most selfish men inside, many 
of them thugs who belonged to that gang in Andersonville. We had no use 
for such a force, for the very men they chose were the ones we most feared. 
All the rations were issued directly to them. I often watched them divide 
them for the different divisions. Before any division was made, each 
would cut off from three to four pounds of the clioicest for himself, when he 
knew he could not eat more than half of it, but had some other thug friend, 
not so fortunate as to be a policeman, who would get what he did not need. 
They would take of rice, beans and meal in the same proportion. 

The Rebs were naturally lazy and would take out on parole of honor any 
able-bodied men capable of doing a fair day's work, to cut wood, butcher 
cattle or do their bidding in any other way. They would furnish them 
tents and blankets and enough to eat. This parole meant an oath that they 
would not go beyond the pioKet lines one mile in any direction from the 
prison. I never could believe that any of our men were justified in render- 
ing any assistance whatever to the Confederacy. It bettered their individ- 
ual condition, but did they not by so doing relieve just so many Rebs to be 
sent to the front? Three of those paroled went beyond the limits and tried 
to make their escape, but were tracked by blood hounds and brought back. 
We do not uphold any who violated an oath; we blame them though for 
taking it. I had many similar chances while in ccndition but, like nearly 
all tJic prisoners, did not think it consistent with the oath we took to fight 
for Uncle Sam. But because they took that oatli and then violated it, is no 
reason why such extreme punishment should be meted out to them. They 
were brought in to tlie left of the gate, between the dead line and the stock- 
ade, to make an example of. They were tied up by their thumbs one hour 
just so their toes would barely reach the ground. Next tliey made each 
carry a scantling, about four by six inches and eight feet long, one hour 
and walk around in a circle. Three large, tight barrels were placed in a 



52 HOBROES OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

row. They had to stand on them and hold up a sixteen-foot two-inch 
plank for an hour, with a piece of paper tacked in front of each which read, 
' ' I broke my parole. ' ' Next they were tied up by the thumbs another hour, 
carried the scantling another, held up the board another, and so continued 
and changed all day long without any intermission, food or water. If they 
had not been strong they never could have stood it. Such haggard faces I do 
not remember of ever seeing. Such tortures are brutal and unnecessary. 
They knew we were always ready to jump at the first chance to escape. 
Their men in northern prisons would do the same, but they had but one 
reason for doing so — tlieir loyalty to the Confederacy. They had all 
they could eat, all the good clothes necessary, good quarters to sleep in 
and separate ones to cook in, bunks and blankets to keep them comfort- 
able, stoves and fuel in abundance, and were never exposed to the weath- 
er. I know whereof I speak, for I had an opportunity to look into the pris- 
ons at Camp Douglas, Chicago and Rock Island, 111. 

The Confederates concluded to build a new prison at Millen, a small 
station eighty miles north of Savannah. They called on we prisoners for 
assistance. They said, "We want as many wood choppers and carpenters 
as we can get. You shall have good tents, blankets, all you can eat and a 
good time. Come all who are able and willing to work. " All the police 
and many more of that stripe went to build a new prison for us who were 
more unfortunate. Think of it, patriots of this glorious Republic ! that 
there were any among us who would lower themselves so much as to aid 
in the construction of a doom for those whose patriotism was so great and 
grand that they would put up with all tlie tortures that could be heaped 
upon them, even unto death, rather than lend a helping hand to their 
enemy. Thank God there were but few among us of that kind. The police 
were so much favored by the Rebs that they had big wall tents, bunks and 
blankets when in prison and, through their position, had on hand more 
provisions than they could possibly take with them. Tliey even went so far 
as to make beer out of a portion of their surplus meal. The Rebs furn- 
ished them with tight barrels, one for each tent. They filled tliem about 
three-fourths with water, the balance with meal, which would ferment 
and soon sour in the heat of the sun. If it was not an intoxicant, it was 
grand to check the scurvy, but tliey only liad access to it. They drank it 
freely and it was quite fattening. I slept on the ground right behind one 
of those tents. While packing up they called me in and told me to bring 
a sack and they would give me some meal and beans. I liad nothing what- 
ever, so they cut in two a sack they liad no use for, and, to my surprise, 
they even had thread and needles, and made two small sacks. They put 
nearly a peck of corn meal in one and about the same of beans in the other. 
I lived pretty high for a day or two, but thouglit it would be a good idea 
to sell some and gradually get into business. There were new prisoners 
coming in occasionally who had a little money, so I sold enough to get 
fifty cents in cash and still had a little of each loft, I laid down that 



During war of the rebellion. 63 

night with pleasant dreams of the future. I imagined I had bought of 
the guards at night and doubled my money. I had repeated this so many 
times in my dreams and found such ready sale for my goods that I was 
ahead a number of dollars. I could now take an extra ration out of my 
stock and still gain in wealth. I could see my way clear in the near future 
to three meals a day. When I awoke it was but a dream. I had the same 
half dollar but no more 

For some triviail misdemeanor of one of the prisoners our rations were 
cut off. We got no rations that day or the next, and I believe, the next. I 
liad to break into my small fund to sustain life and before we drew rations 
again I was bankrupt. I never had a cent thereafter, while a prisoner, to 
bridge over a little time while rations were cut off. One day it was re- 
ported that Jeff Davis would be in Savannah the next morning. About 10 
a. m. of the following day, we heard the boom of cannon, fired in his 
honor. We were satisfied that he would view the prison from one of the 
sentinel boxes. About 2 p.m. I was standing close to the dead line and 
directly opposite the first sentinel box to the right of the gate. We heard 
lots of cheering and Rebel yells outside, which indicated that he was com- 
ing. In a few minutes he and two others, probably a part of his cabinet, 
appeared in the box m front of me. I recognized him instantly from pic- 
tures I liad seen of him. That small chin whisker and one eye were there, 
just as represented in his picture. We gazed at him as long as he stayed, 
probably fifteen minutes, merely out of curiosity. We longed for the 
power to reverse the situation. 

Some prisoners were being brought to Savannah on a night train. 
While passing through the marshes some of them jumped off. They suc- 
ceeded in reaching some negro cabins, got food and induced the darkies to 
exchange their butternut homespun for their blue suits for the purpose of 
facilitating their escape, for in butternut they would not be so easily recog- 
nized. They were in the woods for some days but were finally brought to 
bay by the blood hounds. Quite a number of others who escaped in that 
way for the time being, were brought in from time to time, until comrades 
with such suits were quite numerous. The Rebs finally stuck up notices 
inside to the effect that after a certain date, all found with a complete suit 
of that color would have their clothes taken from them. A number of us 
so pitied them that we exchanged a part of our blue for a part of their 
butternut clothes. The one I exchanged with got my blue pants, which 
were mucli stronger tlian the pair I got in exchange. I simply exchanged 
as a favor to prevent him from being stripped, not knowing him or expect- 
ing any favor on that account in the future, which I will relate in describ- 
ing the journey to our lines. 

As the stockade at Millen was about completed, we were again called 
out to go home(?). Alas, it was too true! In hundreds of cases they did go 
home ! Not to the dear ones tliey longed so much to see but to their ever- 
lasting home, freed from the starving, torturing prison pens, and trials that 



54 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 



were worse than death ! There was nothing worthy of note in our trip to 
Millen, except in passing through Savannahf again, we saw tlie same sym- 
pathetic faces of those noble women and the same kind look from many 
men. We learned tliat that city was full of good Union people, and if one 
escaped, he could hardly miss finding protection by knocking at any door. 
I met some since the war who escaped from our train on another trip, 
when we laid over all night near the limits of ^that city. They said they 
had no trouble in finding protection and were secreted until Siierman and 
his army reached there on his marcli to tlie sea. 



DURING WAE OF THE BEBELLION. 



55 



CHAPTER V. 

MILLEN— WE BUILD A COMFORTABLE SHELTER. 

Millen prison resembled Andersonville very much ^he same Hnd of a 

never more than 10,000 there at one time ^e had been h^^ 
aays when a ooxnrade came along -"Ung o se^ a P- ^^^^^^^ ^^^,,, 
those pieces of sheet-iron taken from the lu in. ^V*'" ^^hing to cook 
There were eight of us in a little space and "ot one had ^ny* ^-f ^^^^ 

in and not a cent to buy with, ^e concluded to foi ma n^^ss^an^^^^ 

^i' ,.^ecihlP We told him our circumstances and askeci mm now j 

erable to part with out of our small supply, but it was even be 

rifice some than to eat any more raw beans and "^^^l" J^^ J^^^ ^^^^^lier 



56 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

part space to crawl in and out. We took some lighter logs, from eight to 
twelve inches in diameter, to build up the high end and the sloping sides. 
The liigh end was raised to about five feet. We gatliered some straight 
limbs and, commencing at the lowest part, laid them across about ten 
inches apart until we had completed tlie roof thus far. The pine boughs 
on those southern trees are from fifteen to eighteen inches long. There 
were lots of fresh green ones, the longest of which we gathered for our 
purpose. We placed a layer of them close together, reaching from the sec- 
ond to the first cross limb and extending a few inches beyond the lower 
part of the roof, clear across from side to side. The next layer from t]ie 
third to the second cross limb, which overlapped the first nearly half way, 
and so on until we had the roof covered similar to shingling. It took quite 
a hard and continuous rain for some time for even a drop of water to get 
through. We calked the sides and ends witii boughs and gathered enough 
old dry boughs to fill the shanty half full for a bed. It took us about two 
days to complete it, for we were too weak to work continuously, but we 
were well paid for our labor for it was our first shelter and bed since we 
were prisoners. What comfort we took in lying tliere through tlie lieat 
of the day and the protection it gave us from storms. My bare head had 
suffered so much with the blazing sun that I appreciated any place where 
I could crawl in and protect it. The shanty was about eight ty ten feet, 
plenty of room for all, although not high enough at the highest point to 
stand up. If we had only had something to read to pass~the lonely, long 
hours away how much more pleasant it would have been, but that we did 
not have. Each day seemed so long that it appeared an age since we en- 
tered Andersonville. Wlien our second ration was received our man was on 
hand to get the first installment on the pan. As wood was plentiful, we 
could thoroughly cook our beans, always put the eight rations in together 
alternate days, otherwise seven, and when thoroughly cooked stir in the 
meal, boil until thick and set off to cool. Wlien sufficiently cooled it was 
quite stiff. The pan would hold but little, if any, more than four quarts, 
but our entire eight rations for twenty -four hours would not fill it by an 
inch. As one or two of our party had knives and all were welcome to use 
them, I got a nice piece of wood and made myself a spoon about the size of 
a table spoon, with a handle about the same length. As I had curved tlie 
handle about like the handles of metal spoons, it soon broke, but was long 
enough for service and lasted me as long as I was a prisoner, a number of 
months. When our pan with rations was suiTiciently cooled, one would 
draw a line through the center and three cross lines, making eight squares. 
We would sit on the ground in a circle around it and each dig out his little 
square. We would dig down as square as possible, each wanted his own 
and nothing more. Often a beau was found to be directly under a line, tlien 
a pleasant but earnest discussion arose as to who it belonged to. If the two 
interested could not agree, it was left to the others and whatever way they 
decided, was satisfactory. It may seem like a very small thing for a dis- 



DURING WAE OF THE REBELLION. S7 

cussion to one wlio was not tliere, but boar in mind a ration was composed 
of very few of those small tilings and meant very much to us. We took 
turns in cooking and it was the duty of the cook to let none of the bean 
bugs escape when the water got warm enough to drive them from the bean 
sliellg. This caused such an impression on my mind that m after years I 
could, in my imagination, see bugs in my bread and other food and would 
innocently and sometimes th.oughtlessly pick out little pieces and lay them 
by the side of my plate. 

About five years after the close of the war I was boarding with a priv- 
ate family in Galesburg, 111. One day after I had finished my dinner, I 
had occasion to return to the dining room for something and there stood the 
lady of the house examining the crumbs by the side of my plate that she 
liad' seen me place there. I was so embarrassed and Immiliated that I hardly 
knew what to do. I did not realize when I picked them out of the food 
and placed them there that I was doing so, but wlien I saw her looking at 
them I knew I had for it was a fixed habit of mine. I said, "Please don't 
examine them, there's nothing there but clean food. " I explained all to 
her satisfaction, told lier the cause and that I could not help it. She did 
not know before that I had been in the army. She said, "Hereafter I shall 
pay no attention to anything of that kind done by you. You are welcome 
to pick the vituals as much as you please," and asked me to tell her all 
about my prison experiences when I had time. I tried hard to break myself 
of that habit formed from sad experiences more than thirty-six years ago, 
still I sometimes catch myself doing the same thing. 

The first cloudy day after we had become comfortably quartered, I took 
a stroll along the little rippling branch in search of fish. I was very much 
surprised to see a hole that was washed by floods, fully thirty feet long, 
twenty feet wide and ten feet deep literally full of pickerel from a foot to 
fifteen inches in lengtli. The water was as clear as crystal. I could see 
even the smallest pebble on the bottom. There were certainly more than two 
liundred of those nice fish. The pond was located about in the center of the 
grounds. How they got tliere is a question. They must have followed up 
the branch from some river during a flood. The stream was hardly large 
enough then for them to escape and I don't believe they cared to, they seemed 
to be so contented. How I longed for some of them, but there was no way 
to gratify my wish. No hooks, no lines, no bait. There were a few large 
pines overshadowing the pond and often I spent hours with others watch- 
ing those fish. The Rebs did not camp above us on that stream, ihe 
water came from a pure spring and was delicious. 

One day as I was going to the branch for water and when passing a halt- 
rotten stump I almost stepped with my bare foot on a large blacksnake. 
I sprang to one side and yelled, "snake!" Two comrades close belund me 
picked up some sticks and killed it almost instantly. They took it with 
them, fastened it to a tree, skinned and cleaned it. It was amusing to 
notice the satisfactory smile on their faces. That meant a great feast for 



58 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN I^RISOKS 

them. It was about eight feet long. Another drowned out a gopher and he 
liad a small feast. 

One of our mess was taken sick and we did the best we could for him 
under tlie disadvantages of having no medicine. We triedt o encourage him 
but of no avail ; lie had to die. We were accustomed to see hundreds die 
but none affected us like tliat. He was a noble young man but too frail for 
such a life. Highly educated and a graduate of Yale college, it was a 
pleasure to converse with him, but he had to go, and be buried like a dog. 
Stripped of all his clotlies, liauled out with otliers in a wagon like so many 
dead hogs, placed on his back in a ditch and covered up. We had become 
so attaclied to each other that it was almost like losing a brother. We felt 
his loss in more ways than one. There was one less ration came to our 
mess and we liad the pan not lialf paid for. Then we had to give every 
otlier day one ration out of seven. One day tliere was a strong and healthy 
young man turned in, wearing a good suit of clothes, the picture of healtli. 
He walked to the further side of the grounds before he was recognized. If 
he could have in some way colored his hair, all might have been well with 
him. His hair was fiery red, which gave him away. At one time in 
Andersonville a company was formed witli the pretended purpose of dig- 
ging a well and had got permission from Worz to do so. This was a little 
before Providence spring broke out. That red headed person was one of 
them. Those who had tents erected a large one over the spot where they 
commenced. Tliey dug straight down about fifteen feet and enougli to go 
under the stockade and then drifted. It was a long distance to the stockade 
and took a long time to accomplish the work, for the work liad to be done 
under great disadvantages. Tlie legs of tlie pants taken from dead men were 
used as sacks to drag the dirt from the end of tlie drift to the shaft where 
they were hoisted out. It would not do to have too much dirt on the sur- 
face at one time, for it might create suspicion if any of tlie Rebs should 
come around. The hole was as near the dead line as the tent would permit 
of. At night the dirt that was taken out during tlie day was hauled in 
these so-called sacks to tlie quicksand bed and dumped where it soon disap- 
peared. At last tlie job was completed and tliejt were waiting for a dark 
night to make tlieir escape. The drift was gradually raised, when beyond 
the stockade, to within two feet of the surface, which could be broken 
througli in a few minutes when necessary. If this red-head had not been 
one of their number, liundreds miglit liave escaped and probably many for 
good, for should tliey have scattered they could not have followed all. But 
this person, to make his chance doubly sure, went to the gate and told the 
guard that he had some very important news and would like to talk with 
Captain Worz. The guard took him to Worz's lieadquarters. In consider- 
ation of the important news, Worz kept him out, gave liim all he could eat, 
tent and blankets and a new suit of clothes. Within one hour two men 
were sent in with tools and between the stockade and dead line sank right 
down on the drift. As long as he was kept at Andersonville, he was all 



BURIKG WAR OF THE REBELLION. 59 

right, but when sent from there to Millen, he fell into other hands that 
knew naught of the compact between liim and Worz, and he was turned in- 
side. The comrade who recognized him gave the alarm and hundreds 
rushed in to surround and overpower and end his career, but he had been so 
well provided for that the poor weak fellows could do notliing with him. 
He ran like a deer for tlie gate and as we rushed in to stop liis progress, he 
knocked all down who crossed his path, and when the Rebs saw him com- 
ing they swung the gates wide open to let him out. I heard that since the 
war, he was killed by some of tliose lie betrayed ; how true it is I can not 
say. One thing is certain, had the boys got him down he would have been 
killed. I never saw him after. 

Another of our mess was taken sick and died. Dysentery was the 
dread of our lives. Fully one-half of the lives lost in those prisons could be 
safely traced to that cause. I took every precaution possible to prevent it 
and succeeded. We most invariably ate our meat raw, unless we got a bone 
and then we boiled it with our beans. Tlie bones I received in rations I 
burned to a crisp and ate them and I believe rhat is what saved me. The 
coarse food we had was inclined to physic and then run from one stage to 
another and very soon end in deatli. We had but a few more rations to pay 
for our pan but it came mucli liarder on us to pay them. My dear com- 
rades of the mess continued to die and at the end of six weeks from the 
time the mess was formed, tlie time we had to leave our comfortable cabin, 
never to get another, to go to another prison, I believe our mess was re- 
duced to four. A few days before our departure, one niglit at twelve 
o'clock, the guards were calling the hour. They called it otf in the 
familiar sing-song way, "Post No. 1, twelve o'clock and all's right!" 
When tlie call had readied Post No. 24, that guard varied it somewhat, in 
this way, "Post No. 24, twelve o'clock and the Confederacy's gone to 
hell!" Just before tliis call was made, there was no semblance of life in- 
side ; it was as silent as the tomb. To all appearances every soul was sound 
asleep, but it was very seldom that we slept sound. There were too many 
contending elements for that. Tlioughts of how much longer we would have 
to live thus, and could we possibly stand it to the end and see our liomes 
again ; always faint and dizzy from hunger, covered with lice, which con- 
stantly sucked our life's blood, from which there was no escape, all these 
prevented sound sleep. It appeared that every one heard tliat call, for, as 
if by command, every throat was expanded to the utmost and in unison, 
three cheers were given that seemed to rend tlie heavens and blend with 
the stars above. It was glorious news, but premature. It was without 
doubt the wish of that guard and thousands of others, who were tired of 
fighting for a hopeless cause. We must have gone to Millen in the latter 
part of October for we were there on National election day in November, 
the day that Abraham Lincoln was elected the second time to the presi- 
dency of the United States. The Rebs desired to know how the vote stood 
inside for Lincoln and Gen. MoClellan, the Democratic candidate. They 



60 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISOKS 

furnished us ballots and near the big gate a box to deposit them in. We 
understood that Lincoln got nearly all the votes. 

Sherman was on his march to the sea. His immense army was getting 
nearer and nearer. His cavalry was in advance and it was not safe to hold 
us in Millen longer for we were riglit in the path that Sherman was to 
pursue. How we hoped tliat our cavalry would surprise them and give us 
our liberty, but it was too far away. We were ordered once more to come 
out and go home. We were undeceived. Their deception would not work. 
Again we were placed on flat cars and taken soutli to Savannah, thence 
southwest on tJie Florida Coast railroad. It was not necessary to feed us 
the day we left Millen for it was not customary and it might have liad an 
evil effect on us. Our destination was a very small town by the name of 
Blackshire, twelve miles from the Florida line. The track was built 
through alligator swamps. All we could see was ponds of water covered 
with a very thick green scum ; the water was the same color and islands 
from one to ten acres in size covered witli timber, mostly cypress, whose 
moss reached from the drooping limbs to tlie water's surface. The moss 
was from ten to thirty feet long. The islands were inhabited by all kinds 
of tree squirrels and it was amusing to watch their capers as we passed 
slowly by. There were the red, white, black and the gray, all with long 
bushy tails. The limbs of the trees in places would reach almost from 
island to island, which gave the squirrels almost unlimited range. There 
were lots of dead, moss covered logs in those stagnant waters, resting 
places for turtles and alligators to sun themselves. We saw two alligators 
(in one pond) that must have been from fifteen to sixteen feet long, on logs. 
The guards fired at them, but whether they hit them or not, it seemed to 
have no effect on them mo'^e than they lazily crawled off into the slimy 
water and sank out of sight just as turtles would. Mosquitoes were at 
home liere — millions of tliem. The engine that pulled our train was nearly 
worn out and moved very slowly and at last stopped dead still. The sta- 
tions were a long distance apart there, and liow many miles the engineer or 
fireman had to walk the track to the next station to telegraph for another 
engine I have forgotten. We had then been a night and day on the road 
without food or water. There were two guards to each car. One sat at 
the corner on one side, the other at the other end on the opposite side so 
that both sides of the car could be watched. Usually old men from fifty- 
five to sixty, too old for any other service, were used as guards. I sat next 
to one with my feet hanging over the side, witli whom I got very well 
acquainted. He said his home was in Atlanta. He claimed to be as good 
a Union man a.^ myself, which was as mucli as to say there are no better. 
His family and all he Jiad on earth was there ; he could not get away and 
therefore had to obey their commands. He and I talked nearly all the time 
about the prospects of the war and other matters, such as pertaining to his 
life, the people north and south, their different modes of living, etc. 

Night at last came and we tried to sleep, but very little we got on ac- 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 61 

count of the mosquitoes. What terrible long nights those were. TJie next 
afternoon my companion guard began to feel the pangs of hunger. He was 
not used to living on wind as we were, which went hard with him. When 
we started he had one day's rations, which were supposed to do him until 
we should reach Blackshire. We had none. He had finished his and began 
to wonder where or when he would get more. He asked, "How long have 
you been without food?" I replied, "since the day before we started." 
He was surprised at how I could stand it. I told him I was used to it. 
"Well," he said, "if you have a pan I have some rice in my liaversack 
•which we will cook." I stepped forward on the car two or three steps to 
where my mess mates were and got it and was pleased with the prospect of 
filling up on rice. There were lots of chips between the track and tlie 
water, cut off the ties when placing them. We gathered a few, pushed back 
tlie thick green scum and filled the pan half full of green stinking water. 
When it approached the boiling point, he went for his haversack. Oh, what 
a pitiful sight it was to see those haggard faces looking down from the cars 
to our steaming pan, all longing for a bite. Wlien the liaversack was 
opened what a surprise met liis gaze. A long bar of soap he liad in there 
bad become jammed in with the ricn. It was all mixed up. I assisted in 
jjicking it out and put it in the pnn. In a few moments there was as fine 
suds boiling over the pan as was ever seen at a Monday's washing. We 
poured the water off and got some more. When that got hot there was as 
much lather as ever. Wo continued to parboil until the rice was boiled to 
pieces and still just as much, if not more lathi-r than at first. We could 
do nothing but try it. I took one spoonful, managed to swallow it but it 
gagged me so I could not touch any more. The guard did the same but one 
spoonful was enough to satisfy him. Others seemed to be anxious to try it 
and all were invited to do so. Each took a spoonful wJiich sufliced, but as 
there were so many to test it all was eaten. We were on the track there 
tliree days before an engine came to pull us out. That made five days 
without food, except the spoonful of soap and rice. 

About 9 p. m. we arrived at Blackshire. We laid down on the grass 
and slept right in the town for there were but three or four liouses besides 
the depot. In the morning early we were ordered to fall in line to receive 
rations. One would naturally think they would be inclined to give us some 
extra on account of beii)g so long witliout food, but they started at the liead 
of our line and gave but two crackers to cacli and nothing but the two 
crackers. I stood near (he head of tlie line and wlien I received my quota I 
stepped beliind as some others di<i, sneaked down the line and fell in again. 
I trembled slightly for fear they had noticed me, because for a trifle like 
that they would severely punish nic. I got two more crackers which so en- 
couraged me that I tried it again and got in all six. Some may have 
done better but a very great majority got but two. 

After the distribution of rations we were marched across tJie railroad 
track and about two hundred yards beyond onto a piece of land sihaped like 



62 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

a goard, about five acres in extent and nearly surrounded with water. All 
they had to guard was the entrance, a very narrow neck, for we could not 
escape from any other point unless we wished to contribute ourselves as 
food for alligators. We remained there two weeks. As there were no 
cattle in that swampy country we had no meat, neither had we beans or 
meal, notliing but two crackers each per day and for water to quench our 
thirst only that green malarial staff as warm nearly as new milk. Tlie 
Rebs seemed to be afraid to keep us in that part of Georgia for they knew 
that Sherman would soon be in Savannah and they would be cut off from 
all communication with their capitol, Richmond, Va. We were taken back 
over the same road to Savannah again for the purpose of running north of 
tliat city and crossing into South Carolina, but they learned that Sher- 
man's Cavalry had reached and destroyed the railroad bridge across the 
Savannah river, and that therefore was out of the question. We remained 
on the cars, or were supposed to, all night at the city limits, guarded and 
fires built on both sides of the train so we could not slip down the embank- 
ment and get away. 

The last rations we received was the day before we left Blackshire and 
to remain on the cars all niglit without food and probably one or two more 
days, prompted us to get something to satisfy our craving appetites if pos- 
sible. All the guards were lying down on tlie cars and seemed to be asleep. 
About midnight I got off and crept the wliole length of tlie train to tlie 
rear under the sliadow of tlie cars and down the track a number of rois be- 
yond, then went down the embankment and under the shade of trees got 
away nearly a quarter of a mile, when I got upon the track and continued 
my walk until I came to a road at right angle to the railroad leading into the 
country. The crossing was about a mile from the train. When I had fol- 
lowed the road about a mile from tlie track, I noticed a pile of something 
on some ploAved land in the rear of a house and went to investigate. It 
was a beautiful moonlight night and I could see a long distance. I sep- 
arated the straw that covered the pile, which proved to be sweet potatoes. 
I wiped the dirt off of one and just started to eat it when I saw a number 
of persons coming toward me who proved to be comrades who had taken the 
same notion. I was the first to leave the train and probably others saw me 
and followed later. In a few minutes there were enough there to cat the 
entire pile. We saw at least two hundred pass us and go beyond. So many 
had left the train that we were missed and they got a drove of blood 
hounds out beyond us by taking another road, cut across onto ours and 
drove us all back. I took with me five or six long potatoes and appeased 
my appetite very well before morning by eating some of them raw. I 
reali:':ed, when too late, that I had made a mistake in not creeping toward 
the head of rhe train and going to the city, for I believe I would have 
found protection until Sherman arrived and ended my career as a prisoner. 

The next morning on account of being baffled in their attempt to get 
into South Carolina, our train started back over the same track and ran 

I, 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 63 

to the end of the road at Thomasville, Ga. I believe it took us two days 
to get there. It is, however, immaterial, for we had been lung enough 
without food and got nothing until the next day after our arrival. 

Thomasville was a pretty town located on high ground. Tlie surround- 
ing country was beautiful, a nice view soutli, east and west, but north, 
covered with fine timber. We were taken beyond the town nortli clo.se to 
the timber on a fine grassy knoll, heavily guarded and fires built around 
our camp every night for there was not even a fence surrounding us. We 
got rations the next day, the same small allowance, no more than though 
we had received them regularly. It must have been about four days we 
were without, less the few raw sweet potatoes we had. It was evident 
that they never thought of taking us to Thomasville before they were cut 
off from South Carolina, or they certainly would liave started at least to 
build a pen of some kind to keep us in. However, within twenty-four 
hours after our arrival we saw 1000 negroes coming down the road from a 
plantation a mile west with picks, spades and shovels. They commenced 
to dig a ditch around us about eight feet deep and ten feet wide. This 
looked like it was to be a permanent job and it was to be our abode until 
the close of the war. Wo always knew whe)i the darkies left the 
plantation at morning and noon, for they would start up some old jilau- 
tation song and sing it until they reached tlieir places to work. 
Negroes usually have strong voices and 1000 singing at one time made 
the woods ring. One with a powerful voice would sing each verse 
alono and all would join in on the chorus. We could catch the 
words of a verse or two, but tlicre seemed to be no sense or meaning to 
them. All I remember is, "O Jonsin's array, Jonsins' army am commin." 
It was a song tliat they liad probably composed about what tliey had heard 
of Rebel General Joimston's marches. The one who sang the verses alone 
always Iiad a finger in eacli ear while doing so. How tliey would roll their 
eyes, and the wiiites of them and tlieir teeth would siiow in contrast to tiieir 
black skins. I sat on the bank and watched them day after day, dig and 
tlirow dirt but not one word escaiied their lips wliile at work, except wlien 
those carrying water came around. A certai)i number did nothing else, for 
it took lota of water to supply 1000. Wlien tlie jug was being passed 
around near them they would yell, "Watah, watali, wata, vcaia, wata. " 
The rising inflection was given to the tliree last letters of tlie first two 
words and the last tliree words were spoken very quickly but they did not 
stop work to utter those calls and continued until the jug was handed tlieni 
for there was a slave driver on the bank with a long black-snake whij) 
watching them all tlie time. It would have been a ve,ry pleasant camp if 
we had any kind of sliade and no disease had got among us, but tliat 
changed the aspect. I think wo liad been tlicre about ten or twelve days 
when the small pox broke out among us. Sleeping on tlie damji rv^nnd, 
without shelter, care or medicine, was not a desirable place to liavo tiiat 
dreadful disease, if anyhere. It .spread rapidly and in the next ten days or 



64 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

so over 500 died. Noue liad any fear of that or any other disease for 
there was but little choice between living or dying. If any, it was in favor 
of the latter, for we felt under the treatment we had to endure we all had 
to succumb before the war would end. We could get no news there, for no 
new prisoners could be brought to us. 

From the time I was a little boy until sixteeen or seventeen years of 
age, I was often vaccinated, some years as often as two or three times, but 
it M'ould never take — always heal as quickly as any scratch. I was right 
among the sick and dying by day and by night and awoke one morning 
right against one who had passed away. It was very sad for me, for my re- 
maining mess mates were taken down and died. I cared for them the best 
I could, but who would care for me if I should be taken down? On ac- 
count of the many days we had been associated, the privations we endured 
together in paying for the pan, the many nights we slept together in the 
little cabin in Millen, the many jokes we cracked over our small rations 
while eating them, endeared us to one another so much that my loss seemed 
almost greater than I could bear. How lonely I was when I cooked my 
little ration, and how sad to sit down alone to eat it, which seemed almost 
lost in tliat pan. If that disease had not got among us, they might have 
lived to return home for tliey were standing the trials well. Only four 
more months, as it turned out, and they would liave been free. 

On the road to Thomasville, in the night, a few jumped off tlie cars. 
About a week after one was brought in and he was the worst looking sight 
I over saw. The citizens got after him with blood hounds and pressed him 
so closely that lie Iiad to climb a tree. He was beyond tlie reach of the 
liouuds but when the citizens came up tliey commanded him t<^ come down. 
He said he would if they would call off the hounds and protect him, wliioh 
they promised to do. As soon as he alighted one of tliem knocked him 
down with the butt of his gun, which blow knocked one eye out and then 
let the hounds bite and pull him round until tliey were satisfied. I do not 
believe it is the least exaggeration to state that there was not a spot on his 
body larger than the palm of a man's hand that was not marked by a dog's 
tooth. He swore vcnegnce on those citizens if lie lived to the close 
of tlie war. 

At the end of three weeks from the time we readied Thomasville the 
Rebs learned that Gen. Wilson witli a command of cavalry was coming 
down tlie railroad track to release us. They quickly lined us up the next 
morning before daybreak, gave each two crackers and nothing else and 
started us on a march of sixty miles through the swamps for Albany, Ga. , 
on another railroad. The ditoJi they were digging at Thomasville lacked 
about four rods of completion, which proved to be a waste of time and labor. 
We marched till after dark and laid down in the timber by the roadside to 
rest and sleep till morning. Before tlie least ray of light could be seen in 
the east we were lined up and each given two more crackers but nothing 
more. On our march that day we passed through a valley where there 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 65 

were a few acres of white turnips. Rebel Gen. Wilder, who was with us, 
commanded his black servant to pull a few for him. I walked close behind 
Wilder' s horse and the first pealing he dropped from a turnip I got, but got 
no more. There were too many anxious for them. We marched again till 
after dark and the next morning were called up again as early as usual to 
receive but two crackers and resume our journey. I remember that was the 
22nd day of December from the fact we got back to Audersonville prison 
December 24th, the day before Christmas. A cold wave passed through that 
country at that time. The days were not so severe for we were on the 
march and our blood was in circulation, but at night it froze quite hard 
and being almost naked we nearly chilled to death. I am satisfied that 
many deaths at night were directly due to that cause. It was a hard task 
for us to start in the mornings for our feet were more than four times their 
natural size, shaped more like boxing gloves, with deep bleeding cracks all 
over them, caused from scurvy, cold nights and fully half the time wading 
in cold water. We could barely stand at first. Our feet were almost as 
sensitive as a boil and it was quite common to hear the poor boys cry out 
with pain. But march, we had to ! After a copious flow of blood from the 
cracks the pain would lessen and after we had marched two or three miles 
we would get along as well as could be expected. We marched until eight 
o'clock that night, when we came to a sluggish stream about seventy -five 
yards wide. All streams so near the coast moved very lazily. We were 
ordered into the timber to our left to stay, as we supposed, all night. Dry 
leaves were plentiful and although very dark we could feel. I pulled a 
large lot of leaves together, laid down and covered myself with them. I 
thought I would have one good night's rest. The others I suppose were 
enjoying the comfort of beds of leaves as I was. Sweet sleep liad overcome 
us, for God knew we very much needed it. We had enjoyed it perhaps two 
hours. The Rebels thought it was too good for us so they came through 
the timber shouting, "Get up and march." We did so and in a few steps 
came to the river. There was an island in the center. A hewed log 
spamied the distance from the shore to the island and another from the 
island to the other shore. The Rebel officers crossed on them, then a guard 
leading us. I was close to the first guard and had reached about the center 
of the first log when an officer from the other shore yelled, "Are those 

Yankee sons of b s crossing on the logs?" The head guard replied that 

we were. ' ' Make them ford the river ! ' ' The guard turned around and 
forced us to jump into the cold water by pushing us off with his 
bayonet. It was very dark but we found the bottom. It was 
an awful jar on our tender sore feet, but who cared for us or what 
we suffered? I remember the water reached just to my chin. Before I 
reached the other side I had to throw my head back to keep my nose out 
of it. I was a good swimmer but too weak to try that. How those man- 
aged who were shorter I do not know, but believe that many were drowned 
and floated away to where man never trod, for alligator food the coming 



66 HOKBOES OF SOUTHEEN PEISONS 

spring. We were marched not over two hundred yards from the bank of the 
river to a rooky bluff, all of three hundred feet high, which we had to 
climb and there was our camp that night. We were above all the surround- 
ing timber, a keen cold wind was blowing and we shook all night long in 
our cold, wet rags. That was one of the worst nights ever experienced by 
any human being and added to that, nothing but six crackers in three days, 
besides a march in that time of probably forty-five miles. There was not 
even a spear of grass, nothing but rough rooks under our feet, and so dark 
we could not see to move around to keep our blood in circulation without 
stumbling over them. It was the longest night we ever experienced ; it 
seemed like daylight would never come. We were the same as though 
clothed in ice, for the few rags we had were frozen stiff! I have heard men 
in the north make excuses for our treatment by saying they did not 
have the food to give us. In my travels from one prison to another I saw 
corn in abundance. When on raids I saw the same and to corroborate this, 
did not Sherman's immense army live on the narrow strip of country its 
passed through on its march to the sea. But if they were inclined to be 
good to us and treat us simply as prisoners of war, why did they, whenever 
the opportunity offered, commit such dastardly deeds as the one just related? 
What time did they gain or what was their object in routing us out of our 
dry beds of leaves, under the protection of heavy timber, where no chilly 
blasts of wind could touch us? What was their object in making us ford 
the stream when all could have crossed as soon on the logs, without getting 
wet? And to cap the climax, why did they march us onto a rocky bluff, the 
highest point around where the cold wind could pierce our gaunt frames 
and freeze stiff the few rags with which we were clothed? Were all these 
inhuman acts perpetrated because they could not do better by us? Was it 
not that they wished to kill us off as fast as possible and in a manner that 
could not be traced to direct or wilful murder? Who is to answer for the 
lives of scores of men who chilled to death that night? Rebel Gen. Winder 
and his under officers. How can any person who has a spark of patriotism 
insult those boys, who went through such trials, worse than death a hun- 
dred times, by offering apologies for such fiends? I do not pretend to say 
that all Confederates were heartless and inhuman ; far from it, for not one 
in one thousand of those who had been in active service would mistreat a 
prisoner. We were handled by Rebs who were never to the front and it 
seemed as though the most inhuman were chosen for that purpose. When 
the least light was visible in the east we were marched down the bluff to 
the valley below and though many less to feed, our allowance was the same, 
two crackers apiece, only. 

Now, dear reader, I have reached a point in our experiences which com- 
mands your closest attention to fully understand the length of time we went 
without food and the terrible tortures we were forced to endure. Weak 
and emaciated to commence with, it was a terrible task to march fifteen 
miles per day on such a small allowance of food and that, too, not very nu- 



DUEING WAE OF THE REBELLION. 67 

tritious. How often have mothers given a little child two crackers to lunch 
on between meals? That constituted our food for a whole day while 
marching sixteen or seventeen hours out of twenty-four. When we had re- 
ceived our crackers, which we devoured in a few moments, we marched but 
a few steps to a marsh, so vast in extent that we could not see to the other 
side. All aroand the border, about four rods wide, ice had formed during 
the night, and in many places beside where there were tufts of grass visible 
in this vast expanse of water. It was too weak to bear our weight and 
as we plunged through it. our tracks were marked with blood, for it would 
cut our feet and legs like broken glass. We marched in water from six 
inches to two feec deep for more than seven hours, frequently breaking ice 
and receiving fresh cuts, before we landed on the other side. From there on 
we had high, sandy land, quite warm, which gave us great comfort bat was 
hard to walk in. Our course was through heavy pitch-pine timber. Many 
of the trees had been tapped in the season to make tar. It took us until 
eleven o'clock that night to complete our journey to Albany, and we were 
forthwith loaded into cattle cars. After that long day's march and all so 
tired, weak and faint that we were ready to drop, we were forced to stand 
up in the cars, or"—'' ' ' ^ ^s close as sardines in a box and while closing 
the door a few more were raised up and forced in to be sure that there 
would be no space wasted. While a car was being filled Rebs were in it 
crowding and pushing us around like cattle to make us occupy as small a 
space as possible. When the door was closed and loo ked, we were actually 
so tightly packed that it was impossible for us to squat. Think of it, after 
marching more than eighteen hours on that day on but two crackers and 
then placed in a position where we were to remain on our feet for — we did 
not know how long, without food or water. One with the greatest com- 
mand of language could not begin to describe our woeful condition and the 
terrible sufferings we endured while in those cars — Oh, so long, without one 
whimper! Why then should I attempt to describe it? 

About midnight the train pulled out from Albany, to take us, we knew 
not where. We were so weary that our heads would drop on others should- 
ers, 'but we could not sleep for nature had been called on to that extent that 
our feet, limbs and bodies pained us almost equal to the toothache, and 
sleep was out of the question. We rode in that position the rest of the 
night, all the next day and until some time after dark, without food or 
water. The train at last stopped at a station where we were commanded to 
get off. It was very dark and raining quite hard and was just above the 
freezing point. When in the cars, each supported the other, but when we 
started to move out, the support was gone and many fell like dead. In very 
many cases it was real, many having died on their feet, but it was not 
known until we commenced to move aside and their support was gone. 
Those noble sons, enduring deprivations and tortures unto death for their 
country's sake and in such positions! Some say, they would notliave with- 
stood such trials if they could have in any way avoided them. Do not be- 



68 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

lieve it. Tliere was a standing offer at all times to feed and clothe all who 
would swear allegiance to the Confederacy, but not one in our lot would 
consider it for a moment. We enlisted for a purpose and were fighting a 
terrible battle for life in the interest of that purpose. When we got out of 
the cars, saw the depot and surroundings, the veiy limited distance the 
darkness would permit, all looked familiar. Sherman was in Savannah and 
by a circuitous route they had again landed us in Andersonville. During 
our absence some enterprising citizen had concluded that the land inside 
the stockade was rich and would produce a big crop of hog beans and there- 
fore had plowed the smaller side divided by the stream, for that purpose. 
After all we liad been through, sufficient to kill hundreds, it was not enough 
to satisfy the inhumanity of the Rebel officials. Instead of granting us the 
liberty of going anywhere in the enclosure, the larger side was slippery but 
not deep mud, they placed us on the side that was plowed, and had guards 
along the branch to prevent us from crossing over onto solid footing. It 
was raining quite hard and was so dark that we could not see. We stood 
around in that cold mud, almost to our knees, all night long, and there was 
no place even where we could sit down and rest our weary frames. A 
march of eighteen hours the day before, with but two crackers to eat very 
early in the morning, on our feet all that night and the day following till 
after dark, packed in cars so tight that it was difficult to breathe, without 
food and water, then to bo turned into such a hole in a cold rain still with- 
out food and drink, for we could not see to get to the creek, besides, if we 
could the guards might mistake our intentions, to spend another night on 
our feet in deep mud next to the freezing point, soaked to the skin v/ith 
that very cold rain and water dripping from our garments, would seem to be 
beyond the endurance of any human being, still the morning found most hov- 
ering between life and death but many lying with hair, that many a fond 
mother would like to brush back from those noble brows, matted with mud 
and silent in death. 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 



CHAPTER VI. 

IN ANDERSONVILLE AGAIN— A SORRY CHRISTMAS. 

That morning was Christmas and it was still raining. We could not 
]i3lp thinking of the contrast between our condition and that of oar people 
in nortliern liomes. Even though we could, we would not have informed 
thorn of our condition that day as it would have marred their happiness. 
Well, being Christmas, the Rebs promised us a great feast, something out 
of the ordinary. The first thing on the program was roll call, then the 
Reb.3 had the audacity to bring in shovels and command us to shovel paths, 
so they could call the roll without wading through the mud. Very few 
could do much more than lift a shovel. The youngest, or those who came 
to us at Savannah prison, were not so much reduced and had a little strength 
left. They did the best they could, and after roll call we were arranged 
in divisions, companies and messes. The streets between the hundreds had 
to be shovelled each morning for two or three mornings after, for it rained 
all that time day and night. 

We drew rations between .3 and 4 p. m. when there before, and we did not 
look for the "grand feast" before that time. Three o'clock came, then four, 
and no rations. The hours passed and darkness came, still no rations. 
We concluded that Christmas was to be a fast day. After we had 
given up all hopes, about 9 p. m. , the big gate swung open, we saw 
a light from a lantern and a team drove m with a wagon load of barrels 
filled with cooked rice, cold as a stone and soaked with rain water. We 
got n ot to exceed a half pint apiece and that was all. I drew mine in my 
hand and soon finished it. There was not a particle of seasoning in it, not 
even salt. That was the something extra — "our great Oliristmas feast! !" 

It rained and continued to rain, and we continued to stand but we 
gathered in bunches, leaned toward each other and with arms around each 
others neoks, one supported the other while we slept. There was a perpen- 
dicular bank near the creek about ten feet liigh tliat had caved away during 
our absence. Immediately after dark a comrade and myself secured a shovel 
from a few that had been left in to shovel paths, and went to the foot of 
the bank to dig a hole in it so that we could get out of the rain. By very 



70 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

hard work, we succeeded in getting a hole in far enough so that by sitting 
down side by side in a very cramped position, the rain could not touch us. 
We had not the strength to throw the dirt far enough away, so in a few 
minutes, tlie sheet of water that was coming down from the top of the bank, 
struck our little pille of dirt and ran into the hole and drove us out. Four 
others went about twenty feet from us and started their hole higher up and 
succeeded in getting a good shelter, and there they remained until they 
were dug out the nest morning, for during the night the bank cracked a 
few feet back and turned over. The poor fellows were smothered and 
crushed, a pitiful sight to see, faces black and blue and blood oozing from 
mouth, nose and ears. Our fate would have been the same had our place 
not filled with water. It continued to ram all that day and until late in 
the night when it cleared up, cold and a strong wind blowing. 

We drew rations the same as when there before, but no horse and mule, 
for there were no armies near to kill them for us. To give an idea of the 
size of a ration of steak — I drew one day a shank bone without a particle of 
meat on it. Such bones were stripped clean, for they were considered 
choice. As soon as I got it different ones offered me three rations of steak 
for it. It was the first time I had drawn one and I concluded to try its vir- 
tue. I boiled it with my beans and it improved their flavor very much. I 
had no other place to put it so carried it in my pocket. The next day I boil- 
ed it with my beans again but pulled a little of the marrow out of the ends. 
The next day I did the same and do not know how much longer it would 
have lasted for there was still considerable marrow in it, had not some one 
removed it from my pocket during the night when I was asleep. 

When the ground dried off, six of us dug a hole about six feet long, four 
feet deep and just wide enough for us to spoon up and fill it snugly. The 
object was to get below the surface where the cold wind could not strike 
us. It answered very well, for we kept much warmer, although about mid- 
night the side on the ground became damp and numb and the other side cold. 
The two against the walls suffered the most, but we took turns in sleeping 
on the outside. About that hour we would raise up together and spoon the 
other way. This was all right during dry weather but when it stormed we 
had to take to the surface, which was quite frequent, and wait until the 
hole was dry again. 

I got an old blouse, the only piece of clothing I ever got from a dead 
man, divided it and used it to wrap up my feet at night. After one of those 
cold storms (it would some times snow a little) it turned so cold that our 
little branch froze over and a number of us crossed it on the ice bare- footed. 
I do not remember how long it took us to tramp down our part of the en- 
closure as hard as tliat part that was not plowed, probably three weeks, but 
as soon as it was liard the guards were removed and we were at liberty to 
go anywhere within. We soon after induced Worz to furnish a trough to 
convey the spring water through to our side of the dead line. After that 
we had pure water. 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 71 

New prisoners were brought in occasionally but in limited numbers. 
Through them we learned that Gen. Sherman was on his way through South 
and North Carolina to reach Virginia and assist Gen. Grant in the capture 
of Richmond, the Rebel oapitol. They believed the war would soon be over. 
Such news gave us courage, but many long days passed and many more died 
before that glad day came. The Rebs woula once in awhile send in a few 
Macon papers, when filled with "glorious Confederate news", of great vic- 
tories won by them, (all manufactured) to discourage us all they could, and 
the next morning the recruiting officer would come in and ask, ' ' Who wants 
to swear allegiance to the Confederacy? All who wish to, follow me. We 
will give you all you can eat, a good suit of clothes each, tent, blankets and 
your freedom". It would have been very tempting under any other circum- 
stances to starving, suffering men, but we had sworn allegiance to the best 
government ever instituted by man. We represented a cause that made 
every man a freeman, and live or die, we would stand by our colors to the 
end ! Not alone because our oaths bound us, but tlie glorious stars and 
stripes was our emblem and no temptation was strong enough to cause us to 
desert it! Instead of tempting us it made us wrathy. There's an old ad- 
age, "Whip a dog and it will kiss the hand that smote him." We were a 
thousand times worse than whipped, for death was staring us in the face 
day by day, but that was preferable to lending assistance to a cause that meant 
perpetual slavery to a portion of tlie human race, simply on account of color, 
which also meant that father or mother, son or daughter could, at the will of 
the master, be torn from the arms of the family and for gold be transported be- 
yond their sight forever ! However, I regret to say, there were a very few who 
weakened and went out. I do not believe any of them had lost their love 
for the old flag, but as they expressed it, they did so to save their lives. 
They did not belieV3 they could live through it to the end in there. They 
would render no assistance to the Rebel cause, but were taking that chance 
simply to save their lives. I believe they meant it. We argued and plead 
with them, told them they could not help assisting the Rebel cause as much 
as tliough they were in sympathy with it, for the Rebs would not trust 
them at the front but place them in the rear to do guard duty and thus 
relieve Rebel soldiers they could send to the front and rely on, so indirect- 
ly they would fight for the Rebel cause. But the thought of life, liberty 
and in the end — home, overbalanced everything else and out they went to 
forever be disgraced. Later on I will relate what a predicament these same 
persons got into. 

As wood was so scarce it was economy to coou; two or more rations 
with the same amount as it took to cook one. Besides, with two rations 
twice as much wood could be used at a time and that much more thorough- 
ly cook our beans. I accepted a comrade from Indiania as my mess mate. 
He was a nice young man but caught the fever of saving his life by going 
out. I argued with him, plead with him and at last prevented him from 
swearing allegiance to the Confederacy by physical force. Neither of us 



72 HOEROES OF SOUTHEEN PEISONS 

had much of that but I got him clown and held him until the recruiting 
officer had gona outside. That was the last chance he had to desert our 
flag for in three or four days we were told to pack up and go home. He was 
very wrathy and promised to punish ma for that som3 day. You will leai'n 
later on how severely he carried out his promise. That was not the first 
time he intended to go out. For weeks I held him with arguments but 
at last persuasion ceased to affect him. 

I have been asked, did you ever receive mail from the north while in 
prison? Mail came there for some, but very few ever got it. At such 
times a Rebel officer would step inside and cry out, "Mail from the north ! " 
We would gather as near him as possible to listen to the names called off. 
When one would answer, he would ask, "Have you twenty-five cents?" 
Very few could rake up the price and therefore never had the pleasure of 
reading letters from home. 

About 200 Indians, who enlisted in Michigan and Wisconsin, were taken 
prisoners at about the same time that 1 was, but only two lived to get 
out. The colored soldiers died there much faster in proportion to their 
number than the whites. It is easy to understand why the Indians died so 
rapidly, for their roving dispositions were accountable for it, but why the 
colored ranks were so depleted can be accounted for in but one way — the 
lack of education. The control of the mind had as much to do with our en- 
durance there as our physical condition. Worrying and fretting killed hun- 
dreds. It was those who were cheerful under all trials that lived to see 
their homes again. We had a little amusement at times. We had to have 
it or we would have died! It kept our minds from home and its comforts. 
When rations were received and our beans placed over fires to cook, we 
would strip our rags off, turn them inside out, sit down close to the fire to keep 
as warm as possible, and eacli of sis or eight would put up a forfeit of a bean 
on who would get the most graybacks at a picking. For that reason, I remember 
very distinctly the number one usually caught. As we picked them we 
would throw them into the fire to hear them pop, as well as to get rid of 
them. The fire seemed to swell them and they would snap about half as 
loud as popcorn. If the weather was dry and the sun warm, each would get 
about 350 at a picking. If damp and cold, from 350 to 400. The cause of 
the difference was, that on a bright warm day a part of them would leave 
us and forage around in tlie sand. When damp and cold they would lunch 
on us. The difference in our pickings would not vary much, but who ever 
got the most would get the beans. Why did we not exterminate them? It 
was impossible! We had nothing to boil our clothes in and if we had we did 
not have the wood to do so ; besides we had no soap and never saw any in 
the enclosure. None had combs and therefore we never combed our heads 
from the time we commenced our prison service until a week or more after 
we entered our lines. One comrade from Maine, as jolly a fellow as ever 
lived, when stripping for a graybaok hunt, always had some comment to 
make that would set us all to laughing. One day, when stripped, he said, 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 73 

"Tliere's a bean in that pan of soup some where and I am going to dive to 
the bottom to find it". We called anything in a hot liquid form, soup. My 
mess mate and I would usually fill the pan nearly full of water to boil our 
few beans, and when we had used all the wood we could afford, stir in the 
corn meal and make very thin gruel. The others as well as ourselves did 
so to fill up as much as possible and warm us. Another amusement we 
had which was very exciting was the races. One of the boys, througli some 
means or other, got possession of an inch board about fifteen inches long 
and a foot mide. Wlien our meals were done and we were waiting for 
them to cool sufficiently to eat, we would place the board over the hot- 
test bed of coals and get it so hot that we could barely touch it with our 
hands. Tliree or four of us would get down to the end of the board, bet a 
bean apiece out of oar next rations on having the fastest grayback. Each 
would reach in and get one and we would hold them with their heads 
pointing to the other end of the board. "We would hold our hands close to 
the board while some one not in it would call, one, two, three, go! All 
would drop our birds and away they would go over the hot board. It was 
surprising liow fast, under the circumstances, they would run. The one who 
had the winner would put it back next to his body, but the rest had to die. 
Nearly every day we had a race of that kind. The excitement made us 
more cheerful. Do not call it cruel for such an act, for any person torment- 
ed as we were by them, could not have any mercy on them. When run- 
ning, they would raise their bodies as high in the air as their legs would 
permit and they looked to be twice as tall as usual. But you might argue, 
you picked your clothes just before while your meal was being cooked? 
What did that signify? There was not a day, but immediately after pick- 
ing, if we had gone over our clothes again, bat that each could have found 
from twenty -five to fifty more. We never lacked for them, for the sand was 
alive with them when it was dry and warm. A short, blocky Englishman, 
with a very broad accent, a comrade who had been paid off just before he 
was captured, cams in one day with some more prisoners. He smuggled in 
all he had, which was reputed to be |300. We understood that he cut a 
hole in a piece of ham that he carried by a string, jDut the green backs in 
it, closed the hole and then rolled it in something repulsive. His lower 
limbs were very much bowed and he went by the name of Jimmy Bowlegs. 
As he had the means he could purchase anything he wished from the guards 
at night. Ha fed and sheltered three or four strong men to assist and pro- 
tect him from the thugs at night. He dug a place in the bank about ten 
feet long and eight feet wide and six feet deep, boarded it up, roofed it, built 
the end with lumber and had a door and the means of fastening it on the 
inside. All of that material he bought of the guards at night. He dealt 
in corn meal, beans, rice, sweet potatoes, tobacco and hot pones of bread. 
After doing business four or five weeks, he built a bake oven out of clay, 
bought wood of the guards to heat it, and wlien sufficiently hot for the pur- 
pose, would pull out all the fire and ashes, shove in about fifty little oval 



U fiORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

pans half filled with corn meal dough, close up the chimney and fire place 
with mud, and bake the little pones with the heat therein. The oval pans 
were made by melting the solder around the outer edge of canteens, which 
he bought of the guards. His counter was a board about ten feet long sup- 
ported by four legs. Only the new prisoners had money and very few of 
them, but as long as it lasted they patronized Jimmy B. , for at first they 
could not get along on the very scanty supply of rations. It seems as 
though I can almost see and hear him still, as he stood behind his simple 
counter calling out, "Who's the next looky mon for a pone of bread? Only 
ten cents I ' ' He did a thriving business and it was thought by some that he 
doubled his original capital several times. As soon as it was dark his goods 
and counter were taken inside and he and his helpers would fasten the door 
and retire. About once a week, when the spirit moved him, caused by in- 
ternal spirits bought of the guards, he would offer anyone three of those lit- 
tle pones who would eat them at his counter, without stopping and with- 
out water. The one attempting it had to put up a forfeit of some kind. As 
but few could do that, it was not often tried. I remember at one time a 
tall, lanky, raw-boned Kentuokian wanted to try it. He put up as a for- 
feit an old infantry over-coat. He soon devoured three pones and wanted 
to try three more. One poor fellow ate two and part of the third and 
died before the next morning, 

Worz adopted the same plan a few days after our return, in issuing 
rations, as was followed at Savannah prison, through policemen he chose 
from among us. Nearly all were the same persons who filled like positions 
at Savannah. They were large, fleshy and the worst elemenfin tliere. They 
had no more conscience or feeling for their companions than a brute. All 
the rations were issued directly to them and what they did not want, we 
got. They were furnished with clubs, similar to those used by policemen 
in cities. Their authority was supreme. We had to be very careful how 
we addressed them. If one should suggest that they were taking out of the 
whole supply, more than they could use, when all knew they were, a stroke 
of a club would settle the argument. I often watched them divide the ra- 
tions for the different divisions and felt ashamed for them at the amount 
they would take for themselves before a division was "made. Each would 
take as much meat as two could eat and of the choicest cuts. Hardly a day 
passed that they did not have from two to four bucked and gagged. It was 
heart-rending to witness the sufferings of those poor comrades, more dead 
than alive. We could hardly keep from protesting but knew that should 
we do so, we would be punished in the same way and probably knocked 
down with a club first. For the benefit of those who do not know what is 
meant by bucking and gagging, just for amusement and illustration, tie a 
boys hands, slip his arms over and below his knees and push a stick over 
the former and under the latter and observe what a cramped and helpless 
position he is in, and if left that way for a few minutes, how painful. That 
is bucking. Take a stick about four inches long, tie a stout string to each 



l)tJllIi?G WAR OF THE BEBELLION. '76 

end, place the stick in his mouth and tie the strings together back of his 
head as tight as they can be drawn. Do not do so with the poor boy, but 
that is the way it was done in Andersonville prison and the victim was 
often left in that position from six to twelve hours. Poor fellows! I have 
seen flies go in and out of their mouths at will and they could not help 
themselves. Nearly all who were punished that way had done but a tri- 
vial offense, which they were driven to through desperation. There were 
not many such heartless beings in there. We did not regard them as 
Union soldiers. They belonged to the very worst element of our large 
cities, who enlisted as substitutes for thousands of dollars and they had no 
more consideration for our flag than a Rebel. 

I must relate a little incident here to illustrate what'our boys would re- 
sort to for something to eat. About once a week Gapt. Worz would ride 
through the prison on his grey horse, reins in one hand, cocked revolver in 
the other and with a continuous string of oaths command us to get out of 
his way. This particular time he had a fat little dog with him. It was 
following and had not gone far before it was killed, meat hid away and 
hide, etc. , buried. He did not miss the dog and probably did not know that 
it had followed him inside. If he had been aware of the disposition of that 
dog it would have been very expensive for us, for it would have been an 
excuse to inflict punishment on all by cutting off the rations for two or 
three days, and probably a demand made for the guilty. Two or three days 
later, others were attracted by a peculiar odor, which led to the spot where 
the hide was buried. It was dug up and not wasted. Another time when 
he was riding through, a poor comrade whose limbs were useless from the 
effects of scurvy, was directly in his way but was rolling over to escape 
when his horse struck him with his hoof. I was so near when this happen- 
ed that I am certain it was Worz's deliberate intention to ride over him, 
for he urged his horse forward when he saw the poor fellow trying to 
escape. He writhed in his agony, and casting a scornful look at Worz, 
muttered something in an undertone. "Vot you say?" demanded Worz. 
He replied, "I said if I was on an equal footing with you, you would not 
ride over me". With a tremendous oath Worz bent over and shot the poor 
fellow through his head. Worz made a complete circuit of the prison with 
blood hounds every morning to find out whether any had escaped during 
the night. Once in awhile, some poor comrade who had become completely 
discouraged and lost all hope of getting out alive, would walk over the dead 
line on purpose to be shot and end his misery. He did not have to wait to 
be accommodated, for the guards were always anxious for a furlough of 
thirty days to visit their folks. There was no shelter inside except some 
old black tents that were once white, owned by infantry men, which would 
answer to keep off the sun but not much rain. One lone tree was there, 
near the southeast corner. It was a pine about 200 feet high, with a few 
boughs on the very top which afforded us no shade. 

During the latter part of February, the Rebs, realizing that the war 



76 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

was fast drawing to a close and believing that the prisons would soon be 
inspected by Federal officials, began to prepare for as good a showing as 
possible. They handed in a lot of poles and commenced at division No. 1, 
Erected sheds as fast as possible, similar to northern farmers' hay sheds. 
A long roof supported about fifteen feet in the air on poles. They were not 
much good for shelters for the roofs were too high and not boarded upon 
the sides or ends. They continued to put those up when the last of the 
prisoners were moving out. A cowardly piece of deception that I trust 
did not deceive our officials. 

There were many dying each day but the death rate was less in propor- 
tion to our number during the winter months than in hot weather, although 
our suffering was much more intense. It was considered that cold weather 
had a tendency to check the scurvy. We thought, considering the way 
we were clad, that before it was over it would have a very strong tendency 
to check our breathing. 

In January and February, 1835, there were a number of regiments re- 
cruited for 90 days, mo.^t of whom were clerks and business men who knew 
the war was nearly over and considered it an opportune time to gain the 
honor of being a part of Uncle Sam's defenders by simply having a 
pleasure trip south at the government's expense. They did not care so much 
for the pay as they did for the honor and the pleasure trip. But alas! In 
war, safety is not always assured, althougli in camp far from the field of 
action. It was not uncommon for raiding parties on either side to pen- 
trate deep into the enemy's country for plunder and destruction. Rebel 
Generals Forrest and Morgan frequently did this. One of them at this 
particular time raided so far north that it took a lot of prisoners from a 
few of those pleasure-seeking regiments and landed them in Andersonville 
prison. How clean and nice they looked witli their new clothes, wliite soft 
hands and blanched faces ! A jump from featlier beds into prison ! What a 
bound, no one realized as well as they ! From nice clean meals prepared 
from the best the market afforded, to government hard-tack, fat salt pork, 
smoked side meat, with scarcely a streak of lean and black offee made by 
yourself is a big leap and it takes weeks to become sufficiently accustomed 
to the change to relish it. From government rations to the repulsive prison 
food is a much greater leap, but a jump from the first to the latter was 
terrible. Their faces were so long that their best friends would scarcely 
have known them. I sympathized with them as did many others, but many 
looked upon it as a capital joke and laughed at them. They had probably 
been without food for twenty -four or more hours and would get their first 
ration the next afternoon, which they could not eat. It was too bad! It 
was just awful to think that they had to mingle in the filth, become com- 
pletely covered with lice, eat repulsive food or starve, and get that in very 
small allowances, but once a day ; lie down at night in those clean clothes 
on that filthy gi-ound and be exposed to all kindj of weather. They were 
in better shaps by far than we, in regard to clothing, flesh and health, but 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 77 

they were not seasoned by degrees to withstand such trials as we were. ' 
Therefore, the prospect was that we would outlive them. Shortly after 
their arrival, we had a hard, cold, long drawn-out rain that tested their 
courage, for tiieir clothes ware thoroughly soaked and they could find no 
place but mud on which to rest their weary bones. At last their courage 
gave way to tears. One young man, strong, robu.^fc, about twenty years of 
age, could not repress his feelings longer and cried aloud. Many of the old 
prisoners, some sitting in the mud because they could not stand, naught 
but skin and bones, laughed at them and some cried oat, "Give tliat calf 
more rope!" It had the effect of checking his loud cry but he continued to 
sob. There were men in prison from all walks of life. The cream of our 
country, through ambition and devotion to our flag, led them into the ser- 
vice. We had comrades there wlio were graduates of Yale, Harvard and 
other leading institutions of learning. A graduate of one, laid on liis back for 
days in the open air, hair matted with mud and alive with vermin, exposed 
to the sun and rain alike, gradually sank away and at last was relieved by 
death. He uttered no complaint, but in the bloom of youtli, he wanted to 
live. He was not permitted to follow the career which his ability so well 
fitted him for. Many of the older prisoners, we who had been confined for 
montlis in our terrible condition, lived on in liopes of finally being" released 
and taken to our homes. As one day succeeded auotlier that time seemed 
to be far distant. As long as we could keep our feet we struggled on with 
hope, but when disease and failing strength laid us low, we were impressed 
with the idea that our government was not doing justice^to us, that it had 
virtually deserted us to our fate. We had withstood the trials and tortures 
of the damned without one complaint, always looking forward with faith 
that it would come to our rescue before it was too late. Exchanges would 
have bean frequent, as in the early part of the war, but for tiie colored 
soldiers. There was probably 3,000 of those in Andersonville. Also 200 or 
more Indians from Wisconsin and Michigan' regiments. Our goveriament 
insisted on the exchange of colored troops as well as the whites and Indians. 
Tlie Rebels claimed the former as their property and would not exchange 
them. Uncle Sam regarded it as liis duty to stand by all alike regardless 
of color, who enlisted to fight for tlie preservation of tlie Union. That 
made exchanges a thing of the past and our only hope was in the close of 
the war. The tests were too severe for many. We had nerve in abundance. 
We had lived on that principally for many months, but there was a limit to 
the power of endurance. It was not always the strongest that bore it the 
longest. Often disease intervened which soon racked the strongest consti- 
tutions. We had no medical assistance and when disease set in, it was only 
a question of time. So it was with our scholastic comrade. While he lay 
helpless on the ground, his mind was actively employed in composing and 
committing to memory a poem that would express the feeling prevalent at 
that time. He felt that the time for body and soul to separate was near at 
hand. He beckoned a few of us to come near him. We knelt around him 



78 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

and listened to his faint ntteranoes and repeated them to a comrade ] who 
noted them down on the margin of a Macon newspaper, of which occasional- 
ly the Rebels furnished us a very few, and then only when filled with very 
discouraging news for us. This comrade who had the notes was a friend of 
mine, and when we got to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, we copied them off. 
The copy I had I retained until about five years ago and somehow^it became 
misplaced and therefore I have to quote from memory. There were four 
verses but I can remember but three, as follows : 

When our country called for men, 

We came from forge, store and mill, 
From workshop, farm and factory 

The broken ranks to fill. 
We left our quiet, happy homes 

And all we loved so well, 
To vanquish all the unknown foe 

Or fall where others fell. 
But in prison drear we languish. 

And it is our constant cry, 
Oh, ye who yet can save us, 

Will you leave us here to die? 

The voice of slander tells you 

That our hearts were weak with fear. 
That all or nearly all 

Were captured in the rear. 
The scars upon our bodies 

From musket ball and shell, 
The shattered arms and missing legs 

A truer tale will tell. 
We have tried to do our duty, 

In sight of God on high; 
Oh, ye who yet can save us, 

Will you leave us here to die"? 

Just outside our prison gate 

There's a grave yard near at hand, 
Where thirteen thousand Union men 

Lie beneath the Georgia sands. 
And scores are layed beside them, 

As day succeeds each day 
And thus it will be ever, 

'Till they all shall pass away. 
And the last can say when dying 

With upturned and glazing eye, 
Both^love and faith are dead at home, 

They have left us here to die! 

Think of it, dear reader, how many noble sons gave up their lives 
there that this great and grand republic miglit live. Think of the many 
starved and tortured, who died like dogs and who now fill unknown graves, 
who might have become illustrious, had they been spared. Think of the 
thousands of noble mothers whose heart-strings were almost severed with 
grief over their boys, whose patriotism was tested to the utmost limit and 



DURIKG WAR OF THE REBELLION. 79 

for whom they constantly prayed that they might be spared and lived in 
hope that at the dawn of peace they would be returned to their embrace. 

"When the news was heralded all over the north that all the prisoners 
were being brought into the Union lines to be fed, clothed and as soon as 
presentable, would be sent to their respective states to be discharged, how 
hope sprang up in the breasts of those long-suffering mothers that "My boy 
will be returned to me at last". How eagerly they scanned the papers, 
every day they watched the front gate, day in and day out, for the boy that 
never returned. Long after the living had returned to their homes, they 
still listend for their footsteps and believed they would yet come. It was 
a thousand times more trying to think of how they died than though they 
died at home, but still, how little they knew of what they passed tlirough 
before death claimed them as its own, and it is well they did not. 

There are still many little incidents that I might relate but I have lin- 
gered long at Andersonville and now must prepare to leave it forever. 
The day at last came. The Rebs came in and called aloud, "Pack up and 
go home!" From a thousand voices the answer was returned, "We are al- 
ready packed!" How ridiculous, to tell us to pack up, when we had not 
half rags enough to cover our nakedness. One division a day was taken 
out. "When my division was called, we marched up near the depot, crossed 
the railroad track and slowly passed through a small frame building with 
front and back door. There was a desk inside and enrolling paper, on which 
each had to write his name regiment, company and state on the same line 
and walk out the rear door. It is a fact that on account of being so long 
without experience in writing and cramped hands through scurvy it was 
quite difficult for us to enroll ourselves. Rebel officials in the room re- 
marked, how surprising to see so few among so many that were unable to 
write. Had they thought of the free school system in the north they need 
not have wondered. That sight alone should have shamed them in their 
efforts to establish and perpetuate slavery, the very thing that caused a 
wide chasm between the rich and poor whites, the former educated by family 
teachers, the latter, a very great majority, raised in total ignorance. 

From our position, while waiting for the rest to become enrolled, on a 
slight raise of ground, we could see the beautiful cemetery that held more 
than fourteen thousand of our dead. Beautiful, did I say? Yes, no more 
beautiful spot for a cemetery on earth. A gradual slope to the south, high 
ground, covered with green grass, (less the parts that had to be disturbed 
to bury the dead) just nicely shaded with young, natural growth pines, all 
about the same size, what more beautiful place could be imagined? Our 
minds were riveted on something that made us sad. "We believed we were 
going to our lines, which meant in the near future a certainty that we 
would reach those dearest spots on earth and once more complete the family 
circles, so long and sadly broken. "We had our faith strengthened in this 
belief, for it was the first time in being moved that we were required to 
enroll ourselves, besides as we came out of the prison gates the Reb's were 



8J HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

crying out, "Who will give one dollar in green-backs for $100 of Confeder- 
ate money?" That looked bad for their cause. We should have felt re- 
joiced, in a sense we did, but the sight of that quiet city of the dead, our 
dead comrades, some I knew, all had acquaintances there. To think they 
could never go, never become enrolled again on this earth, the call to pack 
up and go home was of no significance to them and the realization of the 
fact that mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers would never see tliem more, 
do you wonder that we felt sad and shed a silent tear 



PUEING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 81 



CHAPTER VII. 
"pack up and go home"— adieu to andersonville. 

It took considerable time for all to register, for some were poor writers 
and none could write as once they could. 

At last we were ready to climb into the cars, there waiting for us. 
They were not freights but constructed in imitation of passenger coaches. 
They were provided with windows and just plain board seats, so much bet- 
ter than we had been accustomed to that we highly appreciated them and 
regarded it as another omen that we were destined for our lines. With com- 
fortable seats, not crowded, windows to look through to view the country 
through which we passed was not all. They came through the cars and gave 
each a nice slice of ham and a few hardtack, rations more than twice as 
large as they ever furnished us before. The ham was raw and we had no 
chance to cook it, but that was all right. In a few moments it was gone 
and our appetites were very much appeased. As we sped through the 
country to the southwest, we passed through many small towns, most of 
which, at depots, were provided with guards, whose duty was to march the 
length of the platform and back to guard, as we supposed. Rebel stores in- 
side. Through their peculiar dress we recognized them at once. They 
were dressed partly in blue and partly in butternut. They were galvanized 
Yanks ! This was the term applied to those who weakened, went out of the 
prison and swore allegiance to the Confederacy for, as they put it, to save 
their lives. We remembered their planning that they would be sent to the 
front and^t the first opportunity desert into our lines. But as those who 
did not and would not render aid to the Confederate cause prophesied, the 
Rebs would not trust them, sent them to the rear to relieve the faithful 
and sent those they could trust to the front, and thus indirectly they ren- 
dered as much aid to the Confederate cause as though they were in sym- 
pathy with it. I do not know what became of them eventually, but suppose 
their fate was the same as one I knew. He had to sacrifice all the pay that 
was due him from the government and take his choice of being shot or serv- 
ing three years more at the frontier guarding forts and fighting Indians and 



82 HOEROKS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

denied even a furlough to go home and visit his folks. After three years 
more service he received a dishonorable discharge. It took the combined 
efforts of himself and friends more than twenty years to remove that stigma 
and have him enrolled as one of Uncle Sam's honorable defenders. Any 
one who was a prisoner has more compassion for them than the general 
public. We were not all constituted alike. None were infallible. They 
were weak and cultured the belief that that course was the only one open 
to life and liberty. Although plead with by their comrades, they blindly 
followed the path that led to dishonor and disgrace which they can never 
cast off until relieved by death. The guards mentioned noticed our cheerful 
ness and were touched Dv the songs we tried to sing — "Home, Sweet Home", 
and "Homeward Bound". They believed we were going home and they 
wanted to go too. They slyly tucked their muskets under the platforms and 
got into the cars with us. How little they knew of the humiliation in store 
for them. 

At last that railroad came to an end at a town on the east bank of the 
Tombigbee river. As we had to march at least a half mile from the depot 
to reach the river to board a steamboat waiting for us, tlie time was suffic- 
ient for two sons of the Emerald Isle to display their wit and amuse not 
only us, but people sitting on the walks in the town. One was a Reb, the 
other a Yank with us. The Reb walked along side of our Irish Yank and 
tried to picture the disgrace he had brought on the mother country by fight- 
ing for such a cause and while talking continued to shake his fist at him. 
Our Irishman was fully a match for him in wit and argument. Their 
scathing abuse and ready wit caused all who heard it to roar with laughter. 
The Reb followed us even to the boat before he desisted. Our man gave 
the other many liot shots, one of which contained more truth than poetry, 
as follows: " Yees was raised in a counthery where all wor nixt to shlaves 
to auld Angland and have been crying for laberty for hundreds of years, and 
now yees spalpeen, yees are here fighting to inshlave a race that niver did 
yees oiny har-rum". 

We had been a little over twenty -four hours without food but as we 
went on the boat each was given two crackers. Tlie shades of night were 
fast closing around us as the boat pulled from the shore. It was such pleas- 
ant riding on the boat that we longed to have it continue with us to the 
Gulf of Mexico and transfer us to one of Uncle Sam's ships. About mid- 
night, however, they pulled up to a lauding on the other side. The night 
was beautiful. An almost full moon shining on the water gave it the ap- 
pearance of silver. We could not sleep, the scene was too grand to miss. 
The placid waters were disturbed only by the paddles of the wheel, except 
in one instance. Through an accident one of our comrades fell overboard. 
The boat did not stop, no life line was thrown out, it was only a Yank, as 
they estimated, and they were too glad to get rid of him. Such was life with us. 
In one way and another every day we numbered less. When we left the boat 
we climbed a steep hill to reach the little town on top where there was a 



DUKING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 83 

railroad but no train awaiting us. We were turned into a stock yard near 
the track which was so wet and filthy that we had to stand up all night. 
About 10 a. m. a freight train pulled in and about 10 :30 we were loaded in- 
to box oars. I was the second occupant of one of those cars and it was 
some minutes before any more entered that one. The first was sitting in 
the front end, I sat down in the other. He stared at me a moment and came 
to me and said, "Comrade, did you ever trade a pair of blue pants for a 
pair of butternut?" "Yes sir, I did when in Savanah prison and believe you 
have them on. ' ' He grasped my hand and said, ' * You did me a great favor 
then, for if you had not, you know I would have been stripped of all my 
clothing for you remember I had an entire suit of butternut and you know 
what the command was. How do you fare ?" " Very poorly, ' ' said I, ' ' nothing 
but two crackers in nearly two days. ' ' He lead me to his end of the car, 
opened a sack containing nearly a half bushel of crackers and bade me help 
myself. I was ashamed to eat as many as my appetite called for and it is 
probably well for me that I did not. I asked, "how did you make the raise 
of so many?" "Well, when I was captured, I smuggled through some money 
and run a small suttler stand. When tlie first division was called out of 
Andersonville I had time to dispose of my small stock and bought these 
crackers of a guard at night, for I was satisfied we would not be furnished 
enough food on our journey. Help yourself; don't be afraid of them; 
tiiere's enough to feed us both until we get through to our lines. I want 
you to stay with me until we get through". I was more than anxious to 
do so, for it meant more to me than words can express. He was from York 
state and belonged to the eastern department. Each gave tlie other his 
name and address and agreed to correspond when we reached our homes 
but we had to trust to memory, for we had nothing to write on or with and 
we failed to remember. If this should ever fall into his hands I pray that 
he will write me and we will make amends for thirty-six years of silence. 
Our train carried us through to either Selma or Montgomery, Alabama, I do 
not now remember which, although I remember passing through both places. 
We had to walk through one of thorn over a mile to reach another railroad. 
It had happened tliat Gen. Wilson with a command of cavalry passed 
through that town about an hour before our arrival. With liim was the 5th 
Iowa cavalry, my own regiment. Oh, how I wish they had remained one 
hour more. It would have been so nice to have been taken by our own boys 
and to have met my company and regimental comrades under such circum- 
stances. The sight of us would have spurred them on to fight like demons ! 
The whole company L of my regiment were Irish. Two of that company 
had lagged back to get a little more extract of corn and were prisoners 
when we arrived. They were sent with us and were prisoners only a few 
days. When we alighted from tlie train, we became so mixed up tliat I lost 
sight of my friend with the crackers. He, through his speculation, had fed 
himself well and was quite strong. I could not keep up with or search for him 
in such a throng. The next train landed us within a mile of Jackson 



84 HOEROES OF SOUTHEEN PRISONS 

Miss. , the capital of that state. The bridge formerly across tlie river 
there was destroyed by General Grant when he took that city in 1863. We 
walked to the river bank, and as there was no other way, we waded across. 
It was quite wide and so deep I could barely keep my nose above water. 
In walking through tlie city, the effects of Grant's work was still visible. 
The capitol building had a number of holes through it, made by cannon 
balls, and the dome was completely wrecked. Besides, many other build- 
ings showed the effects of the battle. We were marched almost a round 
the city to some timber beyond, and as it was nearly dark, we remained 
there all night. Shortly after, a very heavy thunder storm came up and 
rain poured down all night. We understood that it was their intention to 
feed us that night, and some said rations were brought out to us, but 
if so, but few saw them. It was so dark that one could not see his hand 
before his face. 

At day-break we commenced our last march with the Johnnies. We 
had been without food for nearly two days. Black river, twelve miles 
from Vicksburg, was the dividing line. From Jackson to that river was 
thirty-five miles. A terrible distance for us hungry, emaciated beings. 
Much too far, I am sorry to say, for many of our party, who stretched 
every effort to reach the goal that led to freedom, comfort, happiness and 
home. But the task was too much for them, for hardly an hour passed but 
one or more had exhausted his strength and fell dead while taking liis last 
step. Some even died within a mile of the river. So near and then to miss 
tlie happiness in store for them. We marched as long as we could see and 
made but ten miles the first day. At day-break the next morning we were 
on the road again, without food nearly three days. That day was a repeti- 
tion of the day before. By marching long after dark we were supposed to 
be twenty miles from Jackson. Again at day-break we were on our journey ; 
almost four days without food. Foot-sore, weary, weak and starving, at 
almost a snail's pace, we dragged our feet along. Hunger had disappeared. 
We had got beyond that, still the sight of food would have brouglit our 
craving appetites back to us. After being a certain time without food, 
hunger is displaced with dizziness and a very faint feeling. Hardly a 
morning, in prison, could we get up directly and stand. We raised to a sit- 
ting position and for a time everything seemed to be turning over and over. 
In time we would become accustomed to that position and rise to our 
knees. Everything would be in commotion again for a time and we had to 
brace our^^slves with our liands until the spall was again broken, when wo 
would gradually rise to our feet, but too often to fall to the ground. 
Sometimes it took two or three attempts of this kind before we wore suc- 
cessful. We had the same experience each morning of our journey. Very 
many of us had to be assisted to our foet and lield up until we became 
aooustomod to the position and could stand alone. The stronger, those who 
had not been prisoners lotig, porf ormed ttiat work. About 3 p. m. we passed 
by an officers' camp on a grassy knoll to our left. A cut was made along 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 85 

the foot of it for the roadway. A colored boy who attended the officers' 
liorses was sitting on the bank watching ua pass. I leaned against the 
bank, told him how long I had been without food and kindly requested him 
to get me an ear of corn. He replied, "I dun-no massy, I'll try but got to 
be mighty caiful somassa don't see me. " In a few minutes he returned, re- 
sumed liis seat on tlie bank and rolled an ear of corn down to me. My mess 
mate had in the meantime got so far ahead that there was no hope of over- 
taking him until tliose wlio were in the lead had gone into camp for the 
night. I believe he would have divided with me had he got the ear of corn. 
I wanted him to have half of it, but it was a texTible struggle for me to 
keep from tasting, for I knew had I done so I could not liave stopped until 
all was gone. I carried that ear about five hours without eating a grain. 
At last I found him, broke the ear in two, gave him the choice of pieces 
and very soon tliereafter all was devoured but the cob. That was all my 
partner and I had to eat in more than five days, and we got no more until 
we reached our lines and crossed over into freedom — about 4 p. m. the next 
day. We were informed that night that we were within five miles of Black 
river. The Rebs let us start in the morning at our leisure. My mess mate 
and I must have started about 3 p. m. It took quite awhile to assist each 
to his feet by bracing, but eventually we slowly moved on our journey long 
before daylight. Notwithstanding our early start, it took us until 12 m. 
to reach the river. The approach to the river was low and flat and covered 
with timber within two hundred yards of the bank. Tlie otlier, the Federal 
side was a very liigh bluff. The road for two miles back, leading to the 
river, was straight as an arrow and in a direct line with the flag-staff and 
the stars and stripes on the bluff beyond. We must liave been more than a 
mile off when our eyes first beheld it. We stopped spell-bound for an in- 
stant and burst into tears. Our joy was so gi'eat we could not help it. Our 
flag never looked so beautiful to us before. It was the grandest sight to us 
we ever saw. One, who had not been in our position, would fail to com- 
prehend its meaning. I had carried the little pan, bought with rations in 
Millen more than five months before, purchased at almost the price of life's 
blood and my wooden spoon to a point where I could see liberty staring me 
in the face. What more use had I for them? None, I thought, and con- 
signed them to the brush by the wayside. When I told my folks at 
home about this, how foolish, they said, "You should have brought them 
liome for a relic. ' ' They were riglit but at that time, under the circum- 
stances, I placed no value on them. When within fifty yards of the river, 
the Confederate officers in command halted us and all sat down on the 
grass to rest. A Federal officer, how nice he looked with his clean blue 
suit, crossed the pontoon bridge and met the Confederate about half way 
between us and the bank of the river. After a short consultation the Con- 
federate pulled out the long roll on which we had written our names in the 
little office at Andersonville and called them off, our officer looking it o'ver 
at the same time. Each would answer to his name, pass by them to the 



86 HORROKS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

bank of the river and sit down. After all on the roll had been called, 
there were from forty to fifty left. The officer in blue said to the one in 
gray, "How is it that you have not tlie names of those?" Tlie other replied 
"I do not know. " One of our number cried out, "They are galvanized 
Yanks. ' ' Then both understood tlie situation. The Reb asked, ' ' Do you want 
them?" "No", replied our officer. "Nor do we", said the Reb. "What 
shall be done with them?" One of our comrades foolishly cried out, 
' ' Shoot them ! ' ' They had done wong and it was a monstrous wrong in the 
eyes of our government, but they had my heartfelt sympatliy. They were 
only boys ; very few over age, and not realizing the consequences, had fool- 
ishly and blindly followed their own convictions that they were taking the 
only possible chance of saving their lives. It is evident to my mind that 
they were still good Union or they would not have deserted their posts with 
the Rebs, jumped into the cars and 'came through with us. There they sat 
motionless with their heads bended low. They were between two fires. 
A representative of each of the contending forces confronted them. They 
had sworn allegiance to both and had deserted. The humiliating position 
in which they were placed might lead to death. It struck my mess mate 
very forcibly and he burst into tears, and taking my hand, thanked me over 
and over for preventing him from doing what they did. He realized then 
for the first time, where he would have been placed. Our officer took charge 
of us and gently led us over the pontoon bridge. We were so happy that 
between tears and smiles we tried to kick up our heels for joy, but there 
was no kick in us. The road leading to the top of the bluif was winding 
and steep, too steep for us to walk so we got down on our hands and knees 
and crawled up. 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 



87 



CHAPTER Vin. 

UNDER THE BANNER OF THE FREE ONCE MORE. 

When the top of the .luff was reached we loo.^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ T^ 
consolate boys in the same position. What ^^^ /^^^^^^^^ ^^^. ^^^mg 

learned. I glanced up, as did many others at he stars and st 1 ^^^^^o 

in the breeze and realized that onoe again We stood oeneaiu 

the aroma as we passed it by. wnen we w« 

came through the cars and handed us each a uncup^ ^^.^^f^ ' At each 

they came, carrying camp-kettles on poles abou foui feet Imig. 

seat they set the kettle down and filled our -P- f ^^ '^ ^f'^J,^ g,^ ,,,a 

Uard tack and gave but one to eac^l^rson.^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^, ^ ,,„^ 

become as stingy as the Rebs. ihe conee wa ^ the first 

time to drink it but they let us take our time. I^jvas very n c 

we had had in many long months. The ^ «^^"^; , f/^'^^^^^^^^^^^ cups 

was just sufficient to whet our apetites. When we had ^^^^^^d, tne p 

we all picked up for the next lot, ^rc^.^ ^^^^^ ^ ^^^ ^^t 

ed out for an eight mile run, four miles ^^""^ 7 .^^^^^"^^^.^ ^''' farther. 

into camp to be fed, clothed and made ^^''^''^^^^^.'^^^^^^ heen 

There were many prisoners there before ''\^'''l^l\2entolhiK\^ knoll, 

brought to that point from many prisons. We were taken to a hig , 

already staked to form another division. I was ^°^^^ff ,^^'^^;^'^;^,,^i^g. 

so fatigued that we forthwith laid down on the grass and «lePt imtil mo g 

The nelt morning I heard a whistle blow and as -- ^ ^ /^^^^J^f,;^ fl 

feet I went to the depot but a few rods away to see the tiain P 

It wasToaded with pickled pork for us ex-prisoners. ^l^^l'^'^^'^l'Z 

drels of barrels were unloaded on that very e^^^r"^^^.^ ^^f ,^ r^;,^ j 

moments a man commenced to pound the heads m with ^ ^^^tcliet. I , 

rre by watching the operation, with probably a very Hungry look. 

noticed me and said, "Would you like to have a piece of this salty, 



St00( 

H 
ra-s 



88 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

pork?" I replied, "Yes, if you please. " Ho looked all around to satisfy 
himself that no one was watching and cut olf a full pound. I ate it as I 
stood there and asked for anotlier piece. He replied that he would like to 
favor mo but that he was afraid that it would kill me. If I had had the 
liberty to help myself it certainly would, for I had not the least control of 
my appetite. About twenty minutes later anotlier train pulled in loaded 
with bakers bread. I went back to my quarters for fear I miglit lose my 
rations. We soon organized into companies and messes and very soon after 
the rations came. It seemed as though they waited on us first, as we were 
the latest to arrive and much more in need of immediate attention. My ra- 
tion consisted of a very small loaf of bread, a thin slice of pickled pork and 
a small allowance of coffee. That was for a whole day. Our company was 
supplied with cooking utensils but I could not wait for my turn and there- 
fore ate the bread and pork and later made some coffee, which finislied my 
rations for that day. Each day our rations were increased a trifle, but it 
was four or five days before I could divide mine and have twomeals per day. 
Later on, I could divide tliem into three parts. 

As there were so many prisoners there and so many coming each day, 
the officials were sorely pressed to furnish us with clothing, then tents and 
blankets, within a reasonable time. I think it was over a week before we 
were supplied with the former. It would not do to furnish us witli tents 
and blankets until we could discard our rags, wash and free ourselves from 
vermin and don new suits. At last our clothing came. The pants were 
the smallest round the waist that the government had in stock, still mine 
were quite loose when buttoned to the suspender buttons. Each company 
was furnished a large tub, a bountiful supply of soap and a few extra 
camp-kettles for the occasion. Fires were made on the banks of the 
creek that ran through our camp, water was heated and then the scrub- 
bing began. The one to be scrubbed would place his new suit about three 
rods away from the tub and go in the opposite direction beyond ilie tub 
about four rods, strip off his rags and tlien return and step into the tub of 
warm water. Two, with scrubbing brushes and soap, would give him a 
terrible rubbing. When finished he would put on his new suit and go to 
the camp. Each helped to scrub two and then his turn came. The day 
after, when we were all clean and presentable, the ' ' Christian Commission 
Women" visited us and supplied us with shears, combs and razors to cut 
our hair and shave one another. Each company was furnislied a complete 
outfit, to be returned when through with. In all the time we were prisoners 
and for some time before, our hair had not been cut, nor had we been shaved, 
for in active service we could not attend to such matters often. Our 
hair was very long, hung down on our shoulders and was very much matted. 
Our thin beards were proportionately long. I have often wondered wliy 
some enterprising photographer did not come to our camp and take our 
pictures as we stood before we washed or discarded our rags. He could have 
made a small fortune. All would have patronized him and his pay would 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 89 

have been as certain as tlioiigli he had it in the bank. We could not Imve 
paid him tlien but all would have been so anxious for such pictures that 
they would have sent tlie money upon the receipt of tlieir pay from tlie gov- 
ernment. If we had been camped near a northern city it would have been 
done. We were not barbers, but we cut each others hair and shaved the 
best we could. The next day we drew tents and blankets. Tliere were 
stacks of old discarded rags along the ravine as large as small houses and 
so infested with gray backs that one could almost see the pile breathe. It 
was remarkable to observe tlie nerve displayed by dagoes in loading them 
and carting tliem away. What will not some people do for the sake of 
money? We liad to search our new clothing for a few days to remove the 
last vestige of lice, but how happy we were when freed from these torments 
tliat had nearly crazed us for months. 

Tlie next tiling in order was pen, ink and paper to write a line home to 
cheer the hearts of our parents with the knowledge that we were still alive. 
The "Christian Commission Women" again visited us and very kindly furn- 
ished us each with a half sheet of note paper, envelope, postage stamp and 
pen and ink to pass around. It must have cost them quite a sum of money 
to supply so many thousands, for such material was higli in price then and 
stamps were three cents eacli. We liad no money and would not have un- 
til discharged and paid off. At first I thought like many others, I would 
not write, but give my folks a great surprise when I got home, but the 
cliange in my condition prompted me to do otherwise. The change from 
almost nothing to something to eat and entirely different food, caused in 
my case a very severe attack of dysentery, which was rapidly wearing 
away what little there was left of me. I was fast becoming so weak that I 
felt the necessity of having something different from army rations, so wrote 
my father as follows : 

Dear Father: I am at last in God's country again. The change from 
almost starvation to government rations has given me a terrible dysentery 
which is weakening me day by day. I answered the sick call tliis morning 
and was ordered to the hospital, but I have such a dread of such places that 
I begged tlie doctor to give me some medicine and let me go another day. 
He did so, and I will not report at sick call again if I can help it. Please 
send me |25, tliat I may buy something that may suit my condition. I 
hope that all at home are well and that I may be with you soon. 
Your affectionate son, 

WILLIAM H. LIGHTCAP. 

Oh, what might iiave happened had I failed to write? My folks believed 
nie dead and had what they supposed positive proof of it. Shortly after the 
exchange in the latter part of the summer of 1864, between Sherman and 
Hood, of 5, 000 western men, one who got out with that exchange went to his 
home in Dubuque la., on a furlough of thirty days. He liad friends in 
Benton, Wis., and one day drove tliere to visit them. He stayed there until 
nearly sundown. My home was two miles west of Hazel Green, seven 
miles southwest of Benton and ten miles northeast of Dubuque. He had to 
go past my home and as night overtook him before he got there, he stopped 



90 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

with my father all night. My father was every soldier's friend. He asked 
him many questions and learned that he was one of the recently exchanged. 
He did not know my father's name and when he asked if he knew a young 
man in Andersonville prison by my name, he did not hesitate to tell what 
lie believed to be true. "Yes," he said, "I knew him well; he died a few 
days before I was exchanged". That settled it. I was mourned as dead. 
My fatlier was a business man and received many letters eacli day from 
parties in Chicago, New York, St. Louis and other places who dealt in 
flour, for he had a mill and shipped in large quantities. Wlien the mail was 
brought each day, about 4 p. m. , he always placed the letters on a shelf 
above the desk where they remained until he read tlie news, for those were 
very exciting times. He took three daily papers, Chicago, Galena and Du- 
buque. About tlie time lie had seated himself to read, my uncle, Josliua 
Atwood, came in. His mail was brouglit from town with my father's. He 
took down the lettei-s to see if any of them were for him. He saw my let- 
ter stamped at Vicksburg and knew there were thousands of prisoners 
brought to that place. He was anxious to see it opened for he believed it 
was from me. He called my father's attention to it and asked him to open 
it. Father replied, "Don't talk that way ; "William is dead". My uncle 
would not be satisfied until that letter was opened and said, "Please do me 
the favor of opsning this letter; it will only take you a moment". He did 
so and the first words he saw were "Dear Father". He quickly glanced at 
the bottom to see the signature, sprang out of liis seat and ran all the way 
to the house like a boy, without reading another word until he got there. 
Oh, what joy was in tliat liousehold! The dead was alive! He could not 
think of sending me money. I might not get it. He must go after me at once. 
He ordered the horses hitched to the buggy and by that time he was 
ready and drove to Galena, 111. , to catch the night train for St. Louis, Mo. 
He arrived there just in time the next day to see a steamboat pull out for 
down the river. He forthwith boarded a train for Cairo, 111. , and arrived 
there a little ahead of the boat and went down the river to Vicksburg. The 
joy in my liome was only an example of the rejoicing in thousands of homes 
all over the country. 

Those who reached our camp first were fed up and strengthened suffic- 
iently to be transported to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, where all were 
destined to become enrolled and sent to their respective states to be dis- 
charged. A few boat loads had been sent up the river and finally it came 
our turn. The boat I was on was making the lialf-circle from Vicksburg 
through the bay to the cliaunel of the Mississippi river, when we met a 
boat coming in. I remembered the name of that boat and when we finally met 
it proved to be the one my father was on. On our boat there was about 
thirteen hundred. The boat that proceeded ours had over seventeen hundred. 
Through some cause, I do not now remember what, it blew up and nearly 
all that large number of poor boys, who had braved the trials of worse than 
death a hundred times, with joy depicted on their brows through the 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. ■ 91 

thought of home so near, were sent to a watery grave. The next day, when 
the news of that terrible disaster was sent with lightning rapidity all over 
our broad country, the consternation was great in my home town, for the 
people figured that my father liad had about time to reach Vicksburg, get 
me and start up the river, and they concluded tliat we were both lost. 
Probably the greater portion had written liome that they were alive and 
liomeward bound, but those anxious mothers' hopes were blasted forever ! 
Those wlio wished to give their folks a great surpise and therefore did not 
write, were probably supposed to have parished in one of the southern pri- 
son-pens. The Mississippi was very high at that time and its banks over- 
flowed for miles. Our first night out from Vicksburg was very dark and 
foggy and it was not possible to keep in the channel or determine our 
course. The first we knew we were out in the country in the midst of 
heavy timber and the large water-wlieel came in contact with the root of a 
tree, broke some of the fans and laid us up until daylight, when the boat 
backed to the river and in its crippled condition, slowly made the trip to 
the first town, where it laid up nearly all day having the damage repaired. 
We continued on to St. Louis and thence to Benton Barracks witliout any- 
thing more worthy of note. It was three days before my father could get a 
return boat from Vicksburg. 

The officers at the Barracks were very anxious to enroll the boys witli 
all possible haste and send them to their respective states to be discharged. 
They therefore called on many who could write a legible hand to assist. I 
was engaged at that when father returned. It was easy work or I could not 
have done it. I simply went into one of the barracks, sat down, called all 
the occupants up one at a time, asked him what state he as from, turned to 
that page headed by the state, wrote down his name company, regiment, 
etc. , and so continued. When coming out of one to go to the next, I met 
my father face to face. He was looking in every direction and at every one 
he met, thinking he would recognize me at sight. I said, "Father!" and 
offered him my hand. He took it but said, "I think you are mistaken ; 
what is your name?" I told him. "The name is all right but there's no re- 
semblance to my son". I could say no more. I beckoned him to follow 
me. I led the way to an office in one of the barracks. We sat down on a 
lounge. The tears ran down my cheeks like rain. I was completely choked. 
I could not utter a word. The long time since I had heard from home caus- 
ed me to fear that one or more might liave died in the meantime. I at- 
tempted three or fou" times to speak but each time tlie question I attempted 
to ask choked me. i t laet, with strenuous effort, I blurted out, ' ' Are — they 
— all — well — at — hon-e?" He answered that they were and the spell was 
broken. It was such a relief to me to hear that, that I had no more trouble 
to talk. He asked where the headquarters were and said that he wanted to 
see the officer in command of the barracks. We had no more than reached 
the walk when a comrade as thin and sallow as myself accosted him thus, 
"How do you do, Mr. Lightoap!" and offered his hand. My father soruti- 



92 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

nized him closely to see if ho could recognize any resemblance to any person 
he had ever known but could not and asked liim his name. He replied, "I 
am William Pierce, from Hazel Green, Wis." He was a young man from 
my own town a little older than myself, but we had known each other from 
boyhood up. Neither of us knew tliat the other was a prisoner. He was a 
member of the Tenth Wisconsin Infantry. We were in Andersonville prison 
together, came from there to Black river together and thence from our camp 
within four miles of Vicksburg, were in the same divison there, came up 
on the same boat to St. Louis and then to Benton Barracks together and 
knew not of each others presence. Within a few minutes four or five more 
came up and recognized fatlier, but to all he put the same question "What 
is your name?" Tliey were boys from within a radius of ten miles of 
home and I knew all of them, but did not recognize them iintil they gave 
their names. We proceeded to headquarters and I introduced my father to 
the oificer from whom I liad received the enrolling papers. He went at the 
officer forthwith for a furlough for me for thirty days. His business de- 
manded his immediate return and he wanted to take me home with him. 
The officer replied that he wanted to enroll all first and send them to tlieir 
states to be discharged and that lie could not grant it. As a last resort, 
when he saw that his pleadings were of no avail, he asked for a pass for 
me to go down town, which was granted with the understanding that I 
should be back at 8 a. m. the next day to roll call. We boarded a street car 
and rode to the hotel where he had registered. Sliortly after, supper was 
ready. There was a bill of fare and there was very little on it that I did 
not order. I ate so long and so much that my father became alarmed and 
commanded me to quit. I reluctantly got up and followed him to the office. 
I was still very hungry but oppressed with the amount I had eaten. He 
said, "I am ashamed to think I allowed you to eat so much ; you must walk 
with me until bed time or it will kill you." I coald not stand it to walk 
more than a block without a rest, but he kept me going the best I could un- 
til 9 p. m., when we returned to the hotel and went to bed. That exercise 
tired me completely out, but I believe it saved my life. The next morning 
before we went in to breakfast I promised him I would quit eating when he 
told me to. We reached the barracks before 8 a. m. and after roll call he 
was after the officer again for a furlough, but the best he could do was to 
get my pass extended twenty -four liours. In taking a short walk along the 
streets that day, he noticed a sign in front of a clothing store and said, "I 
believe I know that man. He. moved liere from Galena, 111., about a year 
ago. I used to buy all our clothing of him. " We* stepped inside and there 
stood the same man. Father told liim my condition and lie said, "I have 
the best remedy in the world for that and before supper come back and I will 
liave some here for him". Before supper we called, it was only a few 
steps from the hotel, he gave me a wine glass full. It was wine and cloves 
boiled together and then strained. 1 had to take the same amount before 
each meal. The next day being Sunday, he invited us to his house to take 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 93 

dinner. He had prepared a grand dinner, but I liad to be checked as usual. 
1 had to be at the barracks every morning for roll call, Sunday included. 
Monday, my father succeeded in getting me a furlough and some time that 
day we started for Galena, 111. I weighed while in St. Louis and tipped 
the scale at 86 lbs. I weighed at Marietta, Ga. , just before I started on my 
last raid and about ten days before I was captured, 165 lbs. I was not 
reduced by sickness, for I was always ready for much more rations than I 
got. From actual exposure and lack of food, I was reduced 79 lbs. The 
clothier had prepared a gallon jug full of the boiled mixture of cloves and 
wine for us to take with us. I could not lift it. Father, however, got it to 
the train, and as I had a wine glass the clothier gave me, I took my doses 
at regular intervals. We arrived at Galena about 10 p. m. , got a livery out- 
fit and driver and reached home some time after midnight. The roads were 
very bad and we had to drive in a walk the whole distance. 

I worked in my father's mill before I enlisted and being very fond of pets, 
had a cat in the mill which I liad raised from a kitten ; when I left home it 
was about one year old. I had trained it to sit up like a dog, walk on its 
hind feet, jump through my arms as high as I could hold tliem and at each 
meal it would follow me to the house and after finishing my meal I always 
gave it milk or a little meat. On the way back to the mill it would act- 
ually enjoy playing leap-frog. When I stopped and leaned forward it knew 
what it meant. It would jump on my back and over me and run a few steps 
and stop until I had jumped over it and run a few steps and stopped, and so 
we continued until we liad reached the mill. I also had a dog which was 
very fond of me, wliich I had trained and petted also. The next morning I 
walked to the barn to see some of the men who were working for my father 
and doing the chores. In a few moments the cat spied me, it jumped onto 
my shoulder, mewed and purred constantly, rubbed itself against my face 
and I could not get rid of it. I walked to the house with it and as soon as 
the dog spied me it was as crazy as the cat. It continually jumped up and 
tried to kiss my face, whining all the time and so annoyed me in my weak 
condition that I was compelled to go into the house. My folks told me that 
when I left home, tlie dog howled by night for a long time and searched for 
me by day. The cat mewed and scarcliod the mill over and over for mo for 
a few days and then went to the barn and stayed there all tlie time I was 
gone and no inducement offered could induce it to return to the mill where 
it was so much needed to keep out the rats and mice. From that day t!ve 
cat went back to the mill and stayed there. My reason for relating tlie 
above concerning the cat and dog is to show how astonishing it was that 
they should both recognize me in my changed condition, instantly, when my 
father did not. I continued to improve slowly, that is, the wine and cloves 
very gradually clieckcd my disease. I gained in flesh but not in strength. 
AH was done for me that was possible. I hung in the balance for a long 
time. After I had entirely recovered, I was told by friends that no one 
thought I would recover. 



94 HORRORS OF SOUTHERN PRISONS 

The next morning, it was noised around that we were home and an old 
lady, Mrs. Pierce, walked from Hazel Green to our place, a distance of two 
miles to ask if we knew or had seen anything of her son William. "When 
informed that we had seen him in Benton Barracks, St. Louis, and that he 
would be home in a few days, she wrung her hands and with tears of joy 
running down her cheeks she said, ' ' Oh, my dear boy ; I knew he would 
come! I knew he would come back to me!" After she had sufficiently 
rested, father had one of the men take her home in a buggy. No one knows 
what our dear mothers suffered ! My sisters told me that my mother often 
got up from the table withoat eating a bite, sobbing and exclaiming, "lean 
not eat when I know my boy is starving ! ' ' There is nothing so profound as 
a mother's love. 

Time passed and my furlough of thirty days was nearing its end. It 
was not like one on a furlough to report again for active duty at its close. 
Even though my folks knew I would be gone for a short time only, they 
disliked to see me leave, for they were alarmed at my condition. Although 
they did not say so in my presence, I could read their thoughts from their 
sympatlietic looks, by glancing quickly at them when they least expected it. 
I returned ro St. Louis and then to Benton Barracks, but found them almost 
deserted, I got transportation to Clinton, la. , for myself and about ten others 
and government rations sufficient for the trip, delivered on the boat. We 
started up the river witliout delay. As soldiers, we were deck passengers and 
slept where we could find a place to lie down. One of our number, just be- 
fore he was taken prisoner, was shot between the second and third fingers of 
his right hand. Those fingers were terribly shattered and he was in the 
hospital two weeks at Andersonville before they received any attention. 
Then they were amputated while they were festered and sore as a boil. Tlie 
surgeon then grasped his two remaining fingers, bent them back and with 
a sharp tool, as quick as a flash drew it across the palm of his hand and out 
the cords of those two sound fingers, exclaiming, "Damn you, you will 
never fire another gun!" I believe it was true, for those two remaining 
fingers were as stiff as pokers and there was the scar across the palm of his 
hand as proof of it. He had, on the left lapel of his blouse, a Lincoln badge. 
While asleep at night it was rcjilaced by a badge of Jeff Davis. He did not 
know it until the next morning when one of us discovered it. It could not 
have been done bv any other than one of the deck hands. Ho was a large 
framed man bat thin in flesh, bat his rage seemed to give him the nei'vo 
and strength of a lion. He walked into tlie midst of the big brawny deck 
hands, took the Davis badge and stamped it into the floor, and dared any one 
of them to acknowledge that he took off the Lincoln -badge and pat that on 
liim. Not one of the cowards opened his mouth. It was surprising how 
meekly tliey took liis abuse. After being home nearly thirty days, govern- 
ment rations were not as palatable as I had known them to bo. TJie other 
boys had not been home and therefore could relish them. I sat on some sacks 
on deck near the kitchen, where I watched the gentle ripples of the water 



DURING WAR OF THE REBELLION. 95 

and noted^^the changes in the landscape as we moved slowly up the stream. 
I could also see the cook's movements through a large open window. The 
meal he'was preparing for the cabin passengers made me long for some- 
thing better than government rations. He noticed me and probably read 
my thoughts. In a few moments he said to me, "Will you shell a pan of 
peas for me?" I replied that I would. He brought out a large pan full and 
another pan to throw the pods in. It took me some time to shell all, but I 
felt that I would be rewarded, although he had made no promises. When 
shelled, lie simply thanked me. When the cabin passengers of tlie boat were 
called to dinner and the oflioers of the boat were seated in the cabin, he 
brought me a large platter covered with oval dishes, containing some of 
each article of food furnished above. Steamboat meals are always of the 
best and that was no exception to tlie rule. The cook called on me for little 
odd jobs a few times after, but did not forget to give me regular meals as 
long as I was on the boat, and just the same as was served in tlie cabin. 

We remained in Clinton a week before the government paymaster show- 
ed up, then we got our discharges and pay, June 5th, 1885. I received mucli 
more money than I expected. In addition to our regular monthly pay, we 
were allowed twenty-five cents per day for each day we were prisoners and 
did not draw rations from the government. That is what is called com- 
mutation money. So we got something for starving. Uncle Sam was a 
good, conscientious paymaster. 

I went home and gradually gained in flesh until I reached 1G5 lbs., but 
my flesh was dark and flabby. I had no muscle or strength for months 
more, or very little more than I liad when I came home on furlough. Wlien 
I had been home six months I tried to shoulder a sack of bran, forty lbs. in 
weight, and could not do so. At that time my brother, eleven years old, 
wanted to scuffle with me, but I could do notliing with him. 

It was advertised in the Dubuque, Iowa, papers tliat on Aug. 12, tlic 
Fifth Iowa Cavalry, my regiment, would be at Clinton to be discharged. 
It was my last opportunity to see all again tliat were still alive, so I got on a 
boat at Dubuque and went down there and met tliem tJiat day in camp back 
of the town. Tlie reception they gave me after so long an absence, repaid 
me many times over for tlie outlay of tlio trip. Tliey would Jiave me stay 
in camp with them, so for the last time, I lived on government rations and 
camped in a tent witli them until tliey were disoliarged. We were there 
tliree or four days before that ocoured, tJien, like the gipsies after the moon- 
stone, they departed in every direction of the compass, never to all meet 
again. 

THE END. 



VJ 1 J 



